Up From Wonderland
by Je Love You
Summary: People go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter who was somewhere he didn't belong. AxH
1. Orange in London

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

A/N: Hi there, this fanfic will be based on Tim Burton's movie Alice in Wonderland, like many of the other fics that have recently been posted in this section. I have not written fanfics for a long time, so I hope you can give me constructive criticism or let me know what you think of the story in order to help me improve. You reading this is greatly appreciated, and I hope you can R&R! It would mean a lot to me. :3

**Part-way through the story people pointed out that in the movie, they referred to it as Underland. I, unfortunately, did not catch onto that and have been referring to it consistently as Wonderland. My apologies, and I hope that doesn't stop you from reading the fanfic! :)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's. So far, I believe the only OC I have is Albert Hannigan.

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Chapter 1: Orange in London

Today was the day.

"Alice?"

Something was different.

"Alice, dear, are you all right?"

Alice turned from where she stood on the stern of their ship. The horizon showed the docks of London, and a line of people waiting for their arrival.

"I'm fine, Albert."

Alice was not so different. Per usual, her long hair was blonde and crimped, her body small. Her personality made people shrink away in discomfort sometimes, for she could be a little too bold for certain peoples' tastes. That boldness, however, marked her as a true business woman (something not so common in these times,) and Lord Ascot had found their trip to expand the company extremely beneficial. Alice had too, for not only had she kept her father's dream alive, but she had also met someone that was very special to her.

"Well, I've surmised that whenever women say they are fine, they are in fact…not."

"Really, Albert," Alice insisted, sending him that look that let people know to back off. "I'm fine. I'm just…glad to be home."

Really, the one thing Alice wanted to talk about most, and thought about most, was the very thing she had spoken naught a word of. When out sailing, as she had been, sometimes it was easy to forget the people she had left behind. Most of the time, it was not easy, and now the thought of Wonderland was simply daunting. That dream she had experienced for years as a child came true as an adult, and she knew exactly where that hole was that led to Wonderland.

Alice was engaged now. Would that change the way people saw their Wonderland Champion? Not that she would ever go back. She just… couldn't. Albert Hannigan had joined their crew on the return trip to London, and he had been the one person Alice grew close to – yet she kept even him at a distance. Wonderland was hers, and nobody else's.

"Why, what an odd-looking fellow," said Alice suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" said Albert, looking to his fiancée.

"That odd-looking fellow with orange hair."

Albert looked up from the floor of the boat, and into the crowd that was appearing larger and larger with every second. They were almost at the docks. She pointed to the crowd, but Albert could see no remnants of any person with orange hair. Alice looked almost hopeful.

"Well, the Scots are not new to England, so don't go making fun of them now; the orange hair can be quite endearing," he teased lightly. Alice just blinked. She could have sworn…

"Right. Well. Everyone should be waiting there at the docks. Let's head in, that way we can be the first people off of the boat. Remind your mother of dinner tomorrow night, and we can announce the news." They had refrained from sending letters to their family announcing the engagement, and the both of them had agreed upon telling their families in person. Alice smiled and Albert gave her a light kiss, but Alice pulled away quite quickly; intimate public displays of affection were not in her book. Albert headed in first after that, holding open the door for Alice, and just before turning she could have sworn she'd seen a pair of orange eyes to match that orange hair. But upon that double take, she saw no one.

"Come come, Alice," Albert tutted. "Let's go."

Alice and Albert were both greeted with loud cheers and hugs, and after a quick look of farewell, they were whisked off to their respective houses and told to tell every detail of the trip. Alice's sister, Margaret, seemed to be as happy as ever, and she remembered that she would have to keep an eye on her husband now that she had returned to London for good. She had caught the bastard cheating on her just a couple of years ago, that day she finally found the rabbit hole.

_The Rabbit Hole._ Alice looked out of her bedroom window, towards Hamish's house far in the distance.

Hamish's family, she had learned, were still social even after the embarrassing rejection. He had found another pretty, naïve young girl and married her instead, according to the letters for Lord Ascot._ Poor thing,_ thought Alice. _Must be terrible to deal with his bowel issues_. She smiled at the thought. Despite the rejection, Lord Ascot and Alice were business partners, so the Kingsleys were still invited to the gatherings. And Alice was to attend tonight. So after a couple of hours of her sister telling her what to wear and how to wear her hair (Alice insisted at least half-down), they were on their way by carriage to Hamish's house. Years on the sea and not one scene of seasickness, but mere minutes on the carriage and she felt as though she were going to vomit! Though to be fair, she was pretty sure it was not the carriage that she was sick from, but the thought of what she was drawing closer and closer to.

Luckily though, that anxiety faded and Alice managed to actually have a pretty enjoyable time at the dinner. Everyone was happy to see Alice back and she found herself recalling every little detail about her trip, refraining from announcing the engagement. Albert and her had reached an agreement to tell their families first, after all. Alice had to take a moment to herself though; she was not used to so much company, and with much of the company focusing on her it was almost as overwhelming as the 'engagement party' two years ago. She walked past the hedges and the statues, past the fountain and deep into the garden. She found herself so lost in her thoughts by the time she finally found a comfy spot by a rosebush that she could have sworn she was hearing voices.

_Funny... No matter where I am in the world, I'll always hear voices._

"Alice!"

Alice shot up. She wasn't hearing voices. In fact, she hit her head against the head of the very being that had called her name.

"Ouch!"

Orange.

This man's hair was _orange._

She looked up at the man who had just fallen backward, hat off of his head now. He was rubbing a particularly red spot, and Alice imagined she had an identical spot on her own sore forehead, which she rubbed.

"Oops," the man stammered. "Sorry, Alice. I thought you were asleep."

"Wh- what are you- who-"

The big, green eyes lost a little sparkle as he surveyed Alice in her fancy dress with her hair braided and half-up.

"Did you forget me again, Alice?"

"No- No!" she said. "H-Hatter..?"

The Hatter... was in London.

"Hatter! But what are you doing here?!" The Mad Matter looked instantly happier, and he sat up cross-legged, as though it were completely normal for him to be there.

"Well, the White Rabbit c-could get up here," he said in his quiet, stuttering voice. "So I thought…why couldn't I? And I missed you immensely. Plus… I remembered, Alice… today is your half-birthday!" He always had such a tendency to ramble.

"It's not my birthday," Alice said, blinking.

"No, Alice, your _half-_birthday." He was grinning, and Alice stared at him. "You are exactly twenty-two and a half today."

Suddenly it was a mad blend of orange and yellow, of blue and green, limbs intertwining. Alice was not a very physical person; she didn't usually hug people goodbye or hello unless they hugged her first. But this was different. She tackled the Hatter in a hug, and after a frightened laugh he hugged her back nervously, as though in disbelief that she actually remembered him.

"Hatter! You can't be seen here! I can't believe you're up here! I didn't even think you could--"

"But Alice- Alice-" The Hatter interrupted, fighting to sit up in a proper position again. He was smiling, his slightly off-centered eyes focused on Alice.

"I'm here. I found you. I came to take you away."

"Take me away?" repeated Alice. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I'm here to take you back… to Wonderland."

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A/N: So? What did you think? You want to read more? R&R for the next chapter!


	2. Hiding the Hatter

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

A/N: Here's Chapter 2! I hope you enjoy! PS- Tarrant Hightopp was the name given in Wikipedia for the character in the film. I don't usually trust Wikipedia but it was the only thing I could find! I want to take this time to thank everyone who's reviewed. Reviews keep me motivated to update, so keep reviewing! :3 And to Emily A., I will fit a scene like that in here somewhere, don't you worry! ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's.

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Chapter 2: Hiding the Hatter

Alice Kingsley was awake by the time the sun rose the next day. She looked around: she was in her bed, in her pajamas, in her house. She could hear the bustling of the workers as they hurried to prepare breakfast for the family and the staff, and for one blissful moment she believed everything was back to normal.

"Morning, Alice!"

But surely not.

Alice jumped slightly as her closet door sprung open. Among all of the white, pale blue, and cream colours of her room stood a mad-looking man wearing bold, odd colours. Oh, right.

"Hatter, sshh! Someone will hear you!" she hissed. Hatter's toothy smile was quickly replaced with a more modest one, and he took off his hat, holding it sheepishly in front of him between his two hands.

"S-Sorry, Alice."

Just the evening before he had tried to whisk her away to Wonderland. Alice had assured him that she couldn't leave, that she had too much here in London to leave behind, but unfortunately things couldn't be dealt with a simple 'no.'

"_Oh," the Hatter had said. "Well, that's all right. I can wait for you to come back to Wonderland with me—when you're done dealing with your business."_

"_It's not that simple," Alice said softly, trying to explain. "I have a life up here, and a family who has been waiting for me for two years. I can't just pick up and leave. Go back to Wonderland, Hatter, and maybe, in the future, I'll find the time to visit."_

"…_I can't," said the Hatter after a moment, looking to the ground. "The White Queen had some of that fluid leftover from the Jabberwocky, remember? The one that helped you get home? She gave it to me, when she noticed I was a little down, and- well… I can't go back until I have what I want." Alice remembered. That potion had given her whatever she wished, and that was to go back to London. But wait…_

"_You want me?" she asked incredulously, and the Mad Hatter's eyes looked left and right before settling on the bush behind Alice._

"_Well, sure. Everyone in Wonderland does. We all miss you, Alice. After everything you've done for us…"_

_Before anything else could be settled, Albert's voice carried over the maze-like garden._

"_Alice? Darling?"_

"_Quickly, Hatter! Hide yourself! We'll talk later."_

And that had led to now. He had followed her back to her house, somehow managing all the while to keep himself out of sight. For the longest time Alice had wondered if she would ever see the Hatter again, when his head suddenly popped up from behind the window of her bedroom. After politely diverting his eyes when he realized she was in the middle of changing, she let him into her bedroom. While she offered him some comfortable sheets and pillows so he could sleep on the floor, he insisted on sleeping in her closet. Apparently he was used to sleeping in cramped spaces and did not want to risk causing Alice any trouble.

"I'm off to breakfast, Hatter," she told him now, walking up to her vanity and brushing her hair. "After breakfast, we will talk. You must promise me you will stay out of sight. Stay put, okay?"

His gaze floated around the boring colours of her bedroom before landing on Alice as she applied a little make up to her clean, pale face.

"Yes, Alice. I promise I will stay out of sight."

"Good. Now turn around and cover your eyes."

He did as he was told, turning to face the inside of her closet while covering his eyes with his hands. He hummed to himself, and after a few minutes he was tapped on the shoulder. He was met with the sight of a very pretty Alice, clothed in a nice dress, long blonde hair left completely down today.

"You look pretty, Alice," he said. He loved to say her name. She simply smiled.

"I will be back," she said. He watched as she walked to the door.

"Um, Alice?" he asked a little nervously, just before she left. Alice stopped and turned.

"Yes, Hatter?"

"Before, you said I was a… a figment of your imagination. You said that I wasn't real. Am I really not real, Alice? Really, truly?"

Alice's usually passive face managed a smile. A guilty smile, at that. She walked up to Hatter, and just as she did years ago before she left, she placed a cool hand on his cheek.

"Hatter. Do you have a name?"

"…I'm the Mad Hatter," he said, making Alice laugh as she tucked a strand of frizzy orange hair behind his ear.

"No. A real name. Not a nickname, silly."

"…Yes, I do," he said quietly. "My name is Tarrant. Tarrant Hightopp."

"And, Tarrant, can you feel it when I do this?" Alice smiled and pinched his cheek. Hatter grinned.

"Yes, yes, Alice! I can!"

"Then By God, Hatter," said Alice, "If you have a name, if you can feel, then I was wrong. You _are_ real. I'll see you later, okay?"

Hatter smiled and nodded, sitting cross-legged once again in her now closed closet. He listened for the soft shutting of the bedroom door before twiddling his thumbs and contemplating if Alice had yet figured out why a raven was like a writing desk.

* * *

Alice made it peacefully through breakfast, trying to prolong it. As thrilled as she was to see someone from Wonderland, she was not looking forward to dealing with the prospect that he couldn't go back without her. She spoke sweetly with her mother and her sister, who was sleeping over for a few days to welcome her little sister back from her travels. Her husband had stopped by too, and after a very intense stare he had given her an awkward hug and a gift to welcome her home.

Unfortunately, there was one problem: a flash of orange hair was peeking out from behind the grandfather clock in the dining room. It was painfully obvious against the pale yellow walls. She tried not to stare at it too much, though her posture was tense. She had told that Hatter to stay put!

"So, did you meet anyone on your travels?" asked her mother.

"I met a lot of people," Alice said coyly.

"Yes, but she means, did you meet a man?" clarified Margaret, and Alice smiled, strained. The orange hair was no longer behind the grandfather clock. In fact, that same streak of orange hair ran by the window, and she blinked. After making sure it didn't reappear, she looked back to her mother.

"Well, actually-"

The door-bell sounded.

Alice glanced at her sister and mother before getting up from the table.

"I'll get it, then," she said. Walking to the door, she opened it, peeking her head out from behind the strong oak.

"Oh! Albert!"

"Terribly sorry to barge in – I would have sent a letter, but that would take days to reach you when I can reach you in a matter of hours by carriage. This morning my parents received a letter requesting their presence elsewhere, for their business. They leave tonight and won't be able to make the dinner. Alice- Alice, are you all right? Have I caught you at a bad time as well?" Albert's voice was stressed, nervous, and anxious all at once. He was rambling, too. He hated it when things did not go according to plan. The fact that Alice's gaze was wandering places behind the door, looking over her shoulder while he spoke, was probably not helping.

"No, not at all, Albert. Please, excuse me a moment, and let me chat with my mother."

"Of course, of course."

Instead, Alice turned around after shutting the door and hissed at the couch.

"What are you _doing!_ I told you to stay put!"

"People," whispered back that nervous voice. "People are in your room. They are…_cleaning._ And I only promised I would stay out of sight!"

"Then hide your hair!" Alice whispered exasperatedly. As if on cue, the flash of orange bowed lower and out of sight from behind the couch.

Now time for mother dearest.

"Mother, Margaret…I have some news," she said politely upon her return to the dining room. The women both looked curious.

"Yes?"

"Well… You know that dinner we were supposed to attend tonight? It's cancelled. There's been an emergency, but instead…they have come here this morning before leaving later tonight. They only received word a few hours ago, so they didn't have time to warn us. I was just wondering, would it be all right if I invited them in for a chat?"

Her and Hatter's talk would have to wait until later.

Her mother had almost forgotten how spontaneous and bold Alice could be. But after checking with Margaret that they'd had no plans aside from the dinner, both women nodded in curious approval.

"Great," said Alice. "Let me bring them in." After a profuse amount of shuffling, three tall figures entered the dining room to find Margaret and Mrs. Kingsley standing politely by the table.

"Mum, Margaret, this is Albert. We met on the trip. And these are Albert's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hannigan."

"How do you do," said Mrs. Hannigan. Margaret nodded as a response.

"If you'll all have a seat," said Albert, a nervous smile on his face.

"We have some news…"

Albert was always more social than Alice, so now that he had calmed down, he went on to explain how the two of them had met on the journey and how they had grown close over the months. It led to the story about how he had found a ring in Scotland, and how he had proposed to Alice a week before their return to England. Alice stood quietly by his side, her gaze wandering this way and that, wondering where that naughty Hatter was hiding now.

"Alice?"

Alice blinked and looked to Albert.

"Hmm?"

"Show them the ring, darling," he said with an affectionate laugh. Alice blinked again.

"Oh! Oh, right." Unbuttoning the first two buttons of her high collar, she revealed a solid gold chain, on the end of which hung a stunning platinum ring with one large, solid diamond. Simple. Just like Alice. So he thought. But Alice was much more complex than she let on.

"Oh- Oh my," exclaimed Margaret. "So then you two- you're both-"

"We're getting married!" said Albert excitedly.

_Crash!_

Both families looked around for the source of the noise, and Alice could see, just around the corner in the other room, the Hatter sweeping up the remnants of a broken plate into his dirty hat.

"Oh, don't mind that, one of the servants just dropped a plate. No worries, no worries," Alice assured them with a hasty laugh. So, contrary to their usual stiff posture, the families jumped up to hug, embrace, and welcome each other to the family.

"How wonderful for you two to find each other!"

"What strange hair," said Albert suddenly. Alice stiffened.

"What was that, Albert?"

"Your butler," Albert hummed. "Such vibrant, orange hair for a Scot."

"…We don't have any Scots working here," said Mrs. Kingsley, and Alice quickly changed the topic.

"So we were thinking about having our wedding in the Spring!"

"Oh, what a great season to have a wedding in… the reception will be outdoors?" Margaret asked, biting the bait. Albert was still trying to look around the corner, so Alice tugged on his arm to try and remind him to focus on the conversation.

"Albert, you're not leaving with your parents, are you?" Margaret asked. Albert tore his eyes off of the hallway, finally, and looked to her instead.

"No, madam, I am not. It is not my business, unfortunately."

"Then stay the night!" Margaret exclaimed. Alice's eyes grew wide and she looked to her sister.

"Wh- what was that?"

"Yes, what a clever idea," said Mrs. Kingsley. "We'll prepare you a separate guest bedroom of course, Albert, and you can stay with us. Margaret and her husband are already staying with us, and there is no reason you should stay alone in your house if your parents are gone. You only just returned to London, after all. Once your parents return, they can pick you up and bring you back home."

"I daresay that is a wonderful idea, don't you agree, Alice?" said Albert, and Alice swallowed, unable to do anything else but nod. At least her mother was still modest enough not to stick the two of them together in one bedroom… That was looked down upon; no sharing of a bed until there is a sharing of wedding rings and vows. But how was she to hide the Hatter and get him back to Lord Ascot's mansion with Albert there?

* * *

Albert's parents left after an early supper; the families chatted and got to know each other, and luckily enough everyone got along fairly well. It was so nice, they said over and over, that Albert and Alice met overseas. Fate had brought them together, and they both even lived in London! It was just meant to be. Unfortunately, Alice not only grew slightly sick from all the sappy talk, she also grew more and more weary as Albert kept exclaiming sights about orange hair or green suits and bedraggled hats. His parents claimed the hallucinations were a strange reaction to being on land after so long on the seas; the Kingsleys simply agreed to avoid drama. No one wanted Alice's fiancé to be as mad as a hatter.

Alice found the time to sneak away to her room a few times and leave some food in her empty closet, hoping that Hatter returned from time to time to at least eat. Each time she arrived with a new dish, she smiled, for the previous plate would be completely empty, with not even a crumb left on the delicate porcelain. She wasn't sure what he was doing, where he was going, or why he was watching over her whenever she was with Albert, but she really needed to talk to him. So she found herself actually relieved when Albert retired for the night in the guest bedroom. She changed into her pajamas and waited patiently on her bed, and soon enough, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Alice?"

"Come in, Hatter," she said, sitting up. He walked in and shut the door silently behind him, leaning against the wood for a few moments before he decided to speak.

"You…are to be married, Alice?"

"Yes. I hope you were able to see today that he is a very nice man."

"…Is he why you won't come back to Wonderland and see us?" Alice mulled it all over before answering.

"Yes, that is one of bigger reasons," she finally admitted, and Hatter looked to the floor. His green eyes refused to focus on Alice, and that worried her. She crawled over her sheets to the feet of her bed, pulling the Hatter to sit down beside her.

"Hey…just because I'm getting married doesn't mean I'm going to forget you," she assured him, taking one of his pale hands between her own. He didn't pull it away, but he didn't look at her either.

"That's good, right?" he said, making Alice laugh.

"Yes, Hatter, it's very good." She placed a finger beneath his chin, trying to get him to look up at her. It took a few seconds, but soon he glanced at her, his green eyes wide and eager.

"Alice, Alice, I-"

"_Alice?_"

Alice jumped, and both she and the Hatter turned to look at the door. Albert was knocking softly on the other side, and Alice fought the urge to squeal in shock.

"Oh- Oh, hide yourself, Hatter!" Why was she saying that so much today? There was a few seconds of scrambling, of springs squeaking, and from the other side, Albert opened the door, intrigued by the noises.

"Alice?" he said again. His fiancée was sitting with the covers of her bed pulled over her.

"Yes, Albert?" she said, feigning a yawn. "Sorry, I'd just fallen asleep." Albert laughed and sat down on the edge of Alice's bed, running a hand through her hair.

"I just wanted to thank you and your family for welcoming us in so last minute. And for letting me stay over. It wouldn't be ideal to be sleeping on my own in an empty house the second night back in London." Alice just offered a strained smile, keeping her arms firmly beneath the sheets.

Why?

Beneath those sheets was the Hatter, crawled up in a tiny ball, hugging his hat to his chest to take up as little space as possible. Alice's arms encircled his frame as though he were a big pillow.

"Just think: our families get along so famously and in a few months we'll be married and off on a train to Paris."

"Yes," said Alice through grit teeth, trying to ignore the Hatter's breaths, each one tickling her leg. "Yes, that will be wonderful."

"And I'll be able to kiss you whenever I wish," teased Albert. Alice managed to fake a laugh, but then-

"Ouch!"

Alice jumped slightly, her arms forcing a tighter grip on Hatter's frame.

"Alice, don't poke me with your toes, it hurts," Albert managed to laugh. "Ouch!" he exclaimed again.

"Alice, I said stop-" He reached a hand towards her toes, which were actually Hatter's, ready to pull the blanket off and tickle her. Alice tried to fight Albert off, but luckily she didn't have to go too far.

"Alice, you'll never believe what Gailey, our new gardener, found," called Margaret as she pushed open the door. Her sister stopped, though, as soon as she saw Albert on Alice's bed. Alice and Albert both blushed a deep red.

"Oh… Am I interrupting something?" asked Margaret slyly, and Alice just cleared her throat.

"What did Gailey find, Margaret?"

"Oh. This poor little rabbit just outside in our garden. One of its ears was completely cut up and bleeding; little dear was shivering. But it was the oddest thing… this rabbit was wearing a waist coat with a pocket watch!"

This time, the figures of both Alice and the Hatter stiffened.

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A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews, they're greatly appreciated! :3 R&R for the next chapter!


	3. The Hatter Discovered

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

A/N: Thank you all for responding so well to the chapters I have posted so far. If you have any constructive critiques, let me know and I'll try my best to improve. Here is Chapter 3, as promised, since you all read and reviewed! :3

And to Sakura Katana, thank you for letting me know about the Mercury poisoning – I had no idea. But Albert is probably just seeing the colour of hair and thinking it's odd, and the closest thing he can do is pinpoint it as very bold hair colour for that culture. And that's odd, all my Scottish friends have red hair, haha! Oh well, I'm just ignorant. XD And you are right, there will be some Hatter's POV in this chapter! Hope you and enjoy and thanks for the critique!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

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Chapter 3: The Hatter Discovered

Alice didn't understand. She couldn't comprehend what was going on. Her body remained tense, her eyes guarded. Creatures were coming up from Wonderland. One came to try and bring her back. The next came injured and bloody, found in her garden.

"Maybe we could post an ad in the daily paper," said Margaret thoughtfully, not noticing Alice's unusual behavior. "Perhaps the rabbit belongs to an affectionate owner who has a fetish for dressing up his or her pets."

"Yes, yes, good idea," said Albert, who was standing now. "How is the poor thing doing?"

"Well, the gardener has him mended up pretty well, though he fears infection. That's actually why I came down here. I wanted to ask Alice, or I guess, you too, Albert, since you're here – did either of you pick up any medical skills while you were out sailing all these years?"

Alice felt a small tug at her nightgown; the Hatter was trying to tell her something. _He _knew something that could help the White Rabbit.

"Yes," Alice lied. "Yes, I- I know a little bit of medical. Maybe I could help."

"I didn't learn any medical skills," said Albert with a frown, and Alice could almost see the Hatter sticking his tongue out at him from beneath the covers.

"It was before you joined us," said Alice hastily. "An injured seal washed up on shore while we had docked somewhere on the way to China. We nurtured it at the expense of it being rejected by other seals. Better that than it dying."

"Rejected?" repeated Margaret.

"If a human touches a baby seal, it becomes tainted in their nature. Even if the mom finds it, apparently it will not care for it. I'm not sure how it works for adult seals, but if it was a mama seal, I wanted to give it a chance to find its babies."

Hey, Alice was pretty good at lying.

Margaret simply nodded despite how lost she looked by Alice's explanation. Her little sister had always been more curious than her.

"Well, the rabbit's down in a bed of pillows in the garden shed. Gailey made it for him. Take a look at the poor thing when you get the time, okay? The sooner he gets better, the sooner we can find his owner."

"Right," said Alice. Albert walked to the door after placing a kiss on her forehead. She resisted the urge to make a face – if she did not enjoy affection in front of people, why would she enjoy it in front of her sister, the one person who could tease her the most?

"Good night, Alice," Albert and Margaret called before shutting the door. The Hatter scrambled out from beneath her sheets, his hair frizzier than ever. Alice fought back a giggle and smoothed it down before placing his hat back neatly on top.

"Alice! Alice, the White Rabbit! He said he would wait for our arrival in Wonderland; why do you think he came up here?" His tone was worried, and his hands grasped hers tightly, seeking comfort. Alice shushed him, pulling him to his feet.

"I don't know, Hatter, but we should go find out. You can help him with his injuries?"

"Yes, I- um… I brought a few salves from Wonderland that might come in handy. Wonderland creatures are best healed with Wonderland remedies."

"Good. Let's wait a few minutes. Let Margaret and Albert clear the hallway before we head down to the shed."

"Right. Good idea."

Alice grabbed her robe off of a hook on the back of her door, sliding it over her shoulders and tying it neatly around her waist. The Hatter watched, fidgeting slightly with the hem of his jacket.

"Hatter, why can't you go back to Wonderland? What is it in the fluid that forbids it?" Alice asked.

"The Jabberwocky fluid is supposed to give you what you want… But it can't give you what you want if what you want doesn't want you." Alice looked away as the Hatter continued. "So now I can only return to Wonderland once you agree to come with me – entirely of your own accord."

"Why can't you just fall through the hole and go through that tiny door?" she asked, walking up to the Hatter and placing her hands on his to stop his fidgeting. The Hatter looked at her behind a shy expression.

"Because, Alice," he said quietly. "I don't want to."

They stood there for a long while, Alice's hands on his, Hatter's eyes on hers. Having him back flooded Alice with the memories of her last visit, of the intimate moments her and Hatter had shared in Wonderland. On his shoulder, beneath his hat… everything he had sacrificed to help her survive and save the White Queen.

"Is it safe to see the White Rabbit now?" he asked Alice eventually, pulling her away from her thoughts. Alice smiled kindly and released his hands.

"Yes, let's go."

They made their way silently through the halls of her house. No boards creaked, no one ran into anything. Alice led Hatter successfully out to the garden, towards the shed.

"There," she whispered, pointing to a rather dilapidated looking shack hiding behind a few sculptures. "That's where the White Rabbit is resting."

They both pried open the rotting wooden door, shutting it noisily behind them. The only source of light in the shed was the lonely candle sitting on a box, a little to the right of the White Rabbit's makeshift bed.

"Rabbit!" Hatter whispered. "Rabbit!"

The small, furry creature stirred. His ears twitched, but the action was immediately followed by a grimace. Alice frowned with sympathy; he looked like he was in pain.

"Alice! Mad Hatter!" the Rabbit greeted in a tired whisper. "Thank goodness I found you…"

"What happened to you?" asked Alice, taking a seat near the Rabbit. He didn't sit up, but instead remained still in bed as the Hatter uncorked a vial of pink liquid.

"Wonderland. You're both late…" the Rabbit said.

The Mad Hatter glanced at his long time friend, gently untying the bandage around his ear and massaging the pink salve into it. The Rabbit winced again, but dealt with the pain.

"What's happening in Wonderland?" asked Alice.

"I don't… I don't know. There are some strange goings on, Alice," he said fearfully. "Chester, he thinks someone is targeting us."

"The Red Queen," said Alice immediately. The White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter shared a look.

"What?" asked Alice. Clearly she was missing out on something.

"It… _can't_ be the Red Queen," said the Rabbit quietly. "She… she died a few months ago, while in exile with Stayne."

"You can die in Wonderland?" Alice asked, blinking.

"Of course you can," said the Hatter, looking at Alice as if she were madder than him. "You killed the Jabberwocky, didn't you?"

"You can live forever in Wonderland – unless someone kills you," the Rabbit clarified. Well, that made sense, Alice figured. If they were all still alive after all the years of dreams she had experienced.

"Who killed the Red Queen?"

"…We don't know."

An eerie silence passed over them for a while, disturbed only by the sound of a pained White Rabbit as the Hatter worked his magic. Eventually the ear was bound tightly with clean cloth again, fur cleansed of the dried blood that once plagued it.

"Thank you, Hatter."

"Will you be returning to Wonderland, then?" asked Alice.

"No," said the Rabbit, shrinking into his new bed as if Alice had threatened him with a knife. "I can't go back there… I'll be attacked again." Alice looked between the two: a rabbit in a waistcoat and a man in odd attire with odd hair and unique eyes. Both had hearts of gold and both were stuck in London.

"Tomorrow," Alice found herself promising again. "Tomorrow, we will all talk."

* * *

London was a boring place.

Tarrant Hightopp, or the Hatter as he was more affectionately referred to, was starting to realize this. How could a girl such as Alice come from such an environment? The walls lacked colour, the furniture lacked comfort, and even Alice's clothes lacked the same bold heroic nobility that she'd worn in Wonderland when she was nineteen. She was twenty-two and a half now, and two days. What was amazing was that she hadn't changed much from that little girl who had wandered to Wonderland in her dreams year after year after year. She had always been mature and a bit taboo for this place; much too curious for her own good.

Unfortunately, her being the same meant she was still as passive as ever. She still followed her head over her heart. Wherever her responsibilities lied, she would go. Now that she had saved Wonderland she felt like she had no responsibilities left there – not like here in London, where she was to be married in the spring and had her father's business to continue. But the Hatter couldn't figure it out. Did Alice _want_ to stay in London, or did she feel _obligated_ to? Did she want to stay in London more, or if she could, would she choose to return to Wonderland? With him?

He wished he knew.

He was silently wandering the halls of her house for the umpteenth time. The sun was just breaking the horizon, and most people were still asleep. The workers preparing breakfast were busy in the kitchen, and he stayed put in the hallway that led to all the bedchambers. After everything that had happened, he had thought Alice would have been so happy to see him, more than willing to return. But now there was this Albert fellow in the picture, and Alice was ready to leave him alone again, just like she had all those years ago. He'd never thought it was possible to physically feel what people called heartbreak, but seeing her disappear, fade away like that… He had reached out in front of him to find air substituting the space Alice had occupied seconds before. He had really thought she would choose to stay…

He shook his head to rid himself of the bitter memory. Why did he care so much? Every time he was with Alice, he just felt like a walking contradiction: at ease but nervous, happy but sad, friendly but lonely. Was Alice ashamed of him? Was that why she always tried to hide him?

The Hatter stopped dead in his tracks outside of a partially open door. He could hear words. They were nasty words… words that held an underlying, evil, negative tone. Words that made him burn more and more with rage. Before he knew it, before he could stop it, his hands were reaching to push open the door. He was muttering something incomprehensible in a thick brogue and then—

"Hatter!"

Relief. He stopped abruptly in his actions and turned to find Alice standing there, blonde hair wild with her robe tossed about her small frame, untied. He could see a light yellow beneath the robe: the colour of her silk nightgown. His expression melted into one of sheepishness.

"Right. Thank you, Alice."

"Alice, darling?" came a voice from the other side of the door. "Is that you?"

"Hide!" Alice hissed again, pushing him into a nearby linen closet. This time, however, Alice went in with him, shutting the door hastily and quietly behind her. The Hatter stiffened. He looked left and right, completely unsure of what he should be doing or where his hands should be. They were in an incredibly cramped space. He was used to cramped spaces, yes, but never cramped spaces with another person! He looked down to the girl pressed against him. Her gaze was not on him, but on the closet door, focused on listening to the person's voice and footsteps. Her chest rose and fell with every silent breath, as did his. He could hear his heart beat, and feel hers against his chest. Both were fast, betraying how nervous they were at the present time. Eventually the voices and the footsteps died, and a bed-headed Alice looked up at him in shock, turning on the light.

"What were you doing?!" she whispered. "You looked like you were going to murder someone!"

"Do you love that man?" The Hatter asked desperately. His green eyes furtively sought refuge in her own, and his hands, without thinking, grasped her forearms gently, but urgently.

"What?" Alice whispered back incredulously, staring at him. For once she was actually thinking he was truly mad.

"Do you love him? That Albert man?" he asked again. Before she could even reply, Hatter turned his head away, hat falling low over his face to hide his expression.

"Because you shouldn't, Alice, you shouldn't!"

"What has gotten into you?" she hissed, and the Hatter bit his lip. Alice pulled the hat higher onto his head so she could see his face, and looked somewhat surprised. He tugged his hat back down. He knew the colour of his eyes had probably changed again.

"You shouldn't love that man, Alice," he said again.

"And who should I love, then?" Alice demanded.

The Hatter did not respond. He looked away.

"I was coming to find you," Alice whispered begrudgingly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I was going to bring the White Rabbit to my room. Have you seen him? He wasn't there when I went to the shed."

The Hatter looked up at Alice, and he imagined the green had found its way back into his irises.

"What? He wasn't there?"

"No," said Alice. "I thought you might-"

"No," said Hatter this time. "I haven't seen him since last night."

"Then where could he have gone?"

The two of them ran to the shelter. Like Alice had said, the once sleeping, recovering bunny was no longer there. The Hatter touched the bed. Stone cold. He had been gone for a while.

"I can't see him leaving," he admitted. "Not after confessing that he was scared to be attacked again."

"I know," agreed Alice, sitting on a box in the shed. "That's why I came to ask you. I mean, he couldn't have even gone out in search for food – Gailey brought him some right there." There was a wide array of vegetables on a plate next to the bed. There were even a few nibbles out of a few lettuce leafs and celery sticks.

"What about your sister, Margaret?" said the Hatter. "Perhaps she took him to try and find the owner."

"Oh! Yes, Hatter, that's probably where he is! We should go-" Alice gasped as she turned around, stumbling back a little as she saw the tall figure in the door way.

"Albert!"

"Yes, I'm Albert… But who," Albert said in a low voice, taking a step closer to them, his eyes focused on the Hatter. "Who the devil are you?"

* * *

A/N: So guys? How is it so far? R&R for the next chapter, and let me know if there's anything really annoying I should change! Hope you guys enjoyed the little fluffy moments I inserted in this chapter. ;) Don't worry! More AxH will be coming up later! Stay tuned!


	4. Of Madness, Disguises, and Mad Disguises

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

A/N: Thank you all for the great responses! They are truly motivating. **Now, this is an important note for the Mad Hatter's character: **apparently in the movie all the orange and red in his skin is a result of mercury poisoning, due to his occupation of being a Hatter. I don't want Alice to_ change_ the Hatter, so I kept in all the physical features that he started with since apparently he isn't dying from the poison. I had a few reviews asking me to post Chapter 4 up early, so here it is! Enjoy! 3

PS – You will all know what the Hatter heard outside the door in the last chapter – just not until later on in the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 4: Of Madness, Disguises, and Mad Disguises

The Hatter stood, dumbstruck, behind Alice. She was the only thing dividing the two men. Albert took slow steps forward, eyes fixated on the bizarre being behind his fiancée.

"Don't make me get the authorities," Albert said again in that low, threatening tone. "Who are you, man?"

Albert reached into his jacket, and Alice's eyes widened as he pulled out a pistol. What was he doing carrying around a weapon?! She could only think of one thing to do. Looking over her shoulder, she side-glanced at the Hatter, and mouthed one word: _Run._

Then, Alice faced Albert and screamed. She screamed loudly, and pointed at the door behind him. Albert, currently overcome with the need to protect his fiancée from a mad-looking man, turned and pointed the gun at the door. When he saw nothing there, he turned to look back at Alice, who was now cowering and shielding herself with her arms – that man nowhere else to be seen.

"What the- Where did he go?!"

"Albert, what in the world is wrong with you?! It's _me_, Alice! Don't shoot me!" she cried hysterically. Alice tried to think of all of those girls she used to have to sit with and talk to at the parties with Hamish: over-dramatic, angsty young girls. She had to act just like them to provide a sufficient enough distraction. She had to pull this off.

"No – I'm not going to shoot you," he exclaimed exasperatedly, lowering the pistol and putting it back beneath his jacket. "But where did he go?"

"Who?!" asked Alice desperately.

"The insane-looking bugger that was behind you naught but a second ago!" Albert was having enough of this. This was infuriating, really! His parents, Alice – everyone was talking about him and his 'hallucinations,' but he'd seen the man just right there! He watched as Alice's expression faded into one of laughable understanding, calming down considerably. She hesitantly walked towards him, one hand out, and when she reached him she patted his shoulder.

"Albert, sweetheart… Are you all right?"

"Yes," he said huffily. "I am perfectly all right, I just want to know where that man was – was he hurting you?!"

"But Albert," Alice said again, her tone calm, her expression feigning worry. "Albert, I was alone in there. I was looking for the bunny. Why do you think I screamed when you pulled out a gun? I have no idea what you were thinking!"

"I was _thinking_ that my fiancée was in a garden shed with another man who could potentially hurt her and-"

"Albert," shushed Alice before he could ramble, running her delicate fingers along his arms in attempt to calm him. "You keep telling me you've seen these odd things that no one else has seen, and you're worrying me. Do you need to see a doctor, or a psychiatrist? Do you need to talk to someone?" Her tone was embarrassing, as though she were talking to a child.

"No," Albert said stubbornly. "I don't need a doctor." Alice knew that. She knew he wasn't going insane, but the only way to get him to drop the whole "I saw you with a man as mad as a hatter" thing was to make him think he was. Plus, the talk of doctors probably scared him – Albert, for some odd reason, hated them with every fibre of his being. If he broke his leg, he would rather go see a butler with a few medical skills than a doctor.

"Good," said Alice, her fast-beating heart calming down considerably. "Then go in and have some breakfast. I'll meet up with you later; I just need to get myself ready for the day." Albert nodded, tight-lipped and seething as he stormed off. He knew what he had seen, and Alice felt bad trying to make him think he was insane when he really had seen something. She knew what that was like: she had seen the White Rabbit years ago when no one else had. People kept thinking she was just seeing something, that she was easily distracted. But this wasn't Hatter's world, and she needed to get him back to where he belonged.

She practically ran up to her bedroom, where she assumed he had run to. It was like their safe-room when the maids weren't cleaning it. She opened the door, and as soon as she did, the Hatter turned to face her. He looked ashamed.

"I told you that you shouldn't love that man. He pulled out a pistol! A _pistol!_ What if I was the gardener? He would have almost shot the gardener!"

"He was just doing what a good man should do: protecting his bride-to-be," Alice tried to explain, even though she too found the pistol to be rather odd. How many times had she been with Albert alone? How many times had he hidden a pistol inside his jacket? She walked up to Hatter, placing her hands on his shoulders. He looked at her, refusing the urge to scoff. Clearly, he was not too happy about what had just happened. There was something off about that Albert fellow.

"I don't like hiding, Alice," he said boldly.

"I don't like hiding you either," Alice admitted, making the Hatter send her a suspicious glance. "That's why I'm going to introduce you to everyone today." He was being careful not to show excitement in case she was joking.

"Really?"

"Yes. We just need to get you some clothes that are more fit for London. Not change you, but… London-ize you. Yes… you can be someone I met on my sailing trip to China! Brush your hair, wash your face, give you some new clothes…" Her tone was cheerful, and the Hatter grinned. This was like a game – a game in which he didn't have to hide or seek.

"I like new clothes," he said. "Do I get a hat?" Alice couldn't help but laugh.

"The best hat we can find."

* * *

An annual charity was approaching. Christmas was next month and the Kingsleys always held a charity auction. 90% of the proceeds went to charity for the Christmas holidays. The other 10% paid for the cost it took to hold such a large event. An entire wing of her house was currently dedicated to all the items that were to go on auction, including boxes and boxes of expensive but unused clothes. The first thought had been to use her father's old clothes, but she knew her mother would notice given enough time. So there they were, Alice pulling the Hatter along into a large, empty ballroom littered with boxes.

"There's a bathroom there," Alice pointed to a door not too far from where they were standing.

"Wash up. There are towels in the cupboard on the right for you."

"Thank you, Alice," said the Hatter. She watched him walk away to the bathroom and shut the door. Once he was gone, she turned and started looking through one of the boxes. When she found nothing good to wear there, she looked through the next. She went through five different boxes by the time the Hatter came out again, and she had a pair of dark slacks picked out, a white button-down shirt, and some shoes. She still had to find a jacket and a hat.

Alice jumped when she finally looked up at him. His face was cleaner, the dirt gone and showing his true, lighter shade of peach-coloured skin. But what she had thought was make-up remained: the orange-ish red that crept out of his eyes and the tips of his fingers. They stood out boldly against his pale skin. She stood, gently tucking a strand of wet hair behind his ear. He looked up at her somewhat timidly, undeniably liking the touch.

"Do I look okay, Alice?" he asked. "Do I look too different from the people here?" Alice just smiled, sliding her hand down and placing it gently against his cheek, as she had taken to doing over the past couple of days.

"It doesn't matter how you look; you will always be my Hatter." This answer made him smile, and he looked down at all the clothes she had picked out.

"Come on," Alice said. "Let's find you an outfit, and I can help you hide the red around your eyes."

They spent the entire morning together, laughing and throwing random bits of clothing at each other as they tried to pick out something that would bring out the "London muchness" of the Mad Hatter. He looked cleaner, but he still looked like the Hatter. His eyes were still that unique shade of green, eyelashes matching the shade of his hair. He had asked Alice if he needed to change his hair, and Alice just grinned.

"No, Hatter. We'll just find you a nice, big hat and you can tuck your hair into it."

He liked the sound of that, so they kept on searching. Eventually, once they had found the Hatter a suitable outfit, the couple had to part ways. Alice couldn't be gone for too long, after all. After applying some cover-up to hide the red in his skin ("from the mercury, when I make hats," he had explained) and giving him a big hug, she told him she would see him soon and walked off to have lunch in the dining room. No more hiding.

"Where have you been?" Margaret asked once Alice took her place at the table. "Albert has been searching high and low for you!"

"I was out with a friend. We went looking for clothes," Alice said innocently. What? It wasn't a lie!

"Oh thank heavens, Lord knows you don't own enough stockings," Margaret said, and Alice sent her sister a playful smile. Suddenly the question she had been meaning to ask all day struck her.

"Margaret, did you take the rabbit from the garden? I went to check up on it this morning and it wasn't there."

"No? How very odd. I haven't seen it since Gailey brought it in last night. Well, perhaps it wandered off back to its owner then." Margaret dismissed it easily, but Alice felt a terrible feeling rise from the pit of her stomach. Cue Albert. He entered the room, looking somewhat distracted, almost as distracted as Alice.

"Did something happen between you two," asked Margaret in a whisper. "He's been off all day." Alice didn't answer, instead rising and letting Albert give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I haven't seen you since this morning," he said quietly. "I was scared I-"

"Don't worry, Albert," Alice hushed him, forcing a smile. "Everything is all right."

With that, the two of them took a seat, waiting politely for Mrs. Kingsley to arrive before eating their lunch. The family talked of books, of Alice's trip once more, and possible plans for the wedding. Just half past noon, the doorbell rang. Alice, a little too fast, dabbed her napkin at her lips and stood up.

"I'll get it," she said. Mrs. Kingsley and Margaret shared a look; their second visitor in two days. Amazing. They'd only had two spontaneous visitors in the two years that Alice had been gone!

"Everyone," called Alice's voice from the hallway. In a few seconds she made it to the dining room, and behind her stood a tall bloke, about as tall as Albert, though much lankier. He wore the dark slacks with a tucked in dress shirt as well as a blazer. While his attire could be called boring, what was much more eye-catching was the hat: a very oversized, very plaid newsboy cap with vibrant shades of colour in every square. His hair was neatly tucked into it, bits of orange peeking out here and there because of the long length. His bright eyes surveyed everyone in the room as his lips curved up in a friendly smile.

"Everyone, this is Tarrant, from my sailing trip to China," Alice introduced. Albert immediately stood from his chair, his gaze focused on those semi-hidden orange locks.

"Wait a minute, I don't recall—"

"He got off before we reached Hong Kong. You only joined us after, on our way back to London," Alice explained before Albert could interrupt again. Albert eyed him suspiciously.

"Have I met you before, Tarrant?" he asked. Hatter blinked before offering a boyish smile.

"No." He didn't intend to speak much to the man who might have shot him.

"He took a different ship back to London," Alice said. "He just docked in. Would any of you mind if he joined us for lunch?"

Margaret and Mrs. Kingsley nodded hospitably, but Albert remained rather closed-mouthed the entire meal. Alice feared he maybe recognized Hatter from before, but even if he did, he wasn't saying anything, which was good. Alice had to say, Hatter actually looked quite fetching in regular clothes, and his green eyes were hard not to stare at now that they stood out so much from his attire. His family warmed up to him pretty well. His adorably childish and sometimes bizarre responses, they had said, reminded him of their own Alice. At the end of the meal, Hatter sent Alice a meaningful look before standing. Margaret watched him.

"Thank you for having me for lunch, but I must go. I had only planned to pop by for a few minutes. I'm, ah, _late _for my next meeting. But time flies in good company. Alice, I will see you later. Congrats, by the way," he said, looking Albert dead in the eye, "on the engagement. Treat her well, hmm?" They bid him farewell, and the first chance she could (which happened to be a good thirty minutes later) Alice stood to try and escape to her room. Albert and Mrs. Kingsley had left, and it was just Alice and Margaret at the table.

"Alice, this Tarrant… Who is he, really?" Margaret asked, reaching out to grasp her little sister's hand. Alice swallowed.

"He's my friend, from sailing," she said, being careful not to portray too much emotion.

"Well, be careful there," Margaret warned with a smirk. "Lowell and I were just friends… Now we're married. But you don't want that scenario when you already have Albert, do you?" Alice blinked, wondering what exactly Margaret had picked up on between her and the Hatter. Her mouth opened and closed as she thought about several remarks, but all she said was,

"I have to go."

She was absolutely thrilled with how well things had gone between her family and the Hatter. She wanted to see what Hatter thought of her family, despite what Margaret had said to her. Surely the Hatter and her were just friends. Not that she… cared what anyone else thought or anything. After all, she had to take him back to Wonderland. He couldn't stay in London forever with her. …Could he?

Spotting the Hatter standing by the window of her room, back to her, Alice ran up to him while holding back a squeal.

"Hatter!" she said, out of breath from the running. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, fighting to sneak a look at his face.

"Hatter, that was absolutely splendid! My family loved you! I mean, it's terrible Margaret hasn't found the White Rabbit, but I'm sure he's all right. We could look in the garden again now that you- Hatter? What's wrong?"

He really wasn't looking at her. He always faced her, at the very least, when she was talking. He was a very polite man, the Hatter, for someone who was supposed to be mad. In her opinion the March Hare made him seem quite normal.

Alice placed a hand on his shoulder. His head was bowed, new newsboy cap low over his face. She reached her hands out to his, only to find they were holding something. She looked down.

In the Hatter's hands was his old friend, Dormouse.

Dead.

* * *

A/N: Hope you guys liked it! R&R for the next chapter! 3


	5. What Goes Up Must Come Down

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N:** I want to thank you all again for the positive responses! I'm just letting you know that I read all of your reviews, so not one of them goes to waste! They are all extremely appreciated, especially to those who pitch in ideas. I'm glad you all enjoyed Chapter 4's early post; I admit that I was very worried it wouldn't be received well. Thank you all for being so supportive, and as promised for reading and reviewing, here is Chapter 5! There's some more fluff in this chapter as a reward for dealing with all the suspense. xD

PS – There are a few people asking about where the White Rabbit is. Don't worry, don't worry! It will all be explained in later chapters. I want to warn you now that I don't plan to pull a JK Rowling and kill all the characters off at the last minute, but this fic isn't going to be a purely fluff fic either. xD There will be both plot and character development. I've gotten a few messages asking when more Alice/Hatter things are going to happen, and for now, it's just going to be little cute things. The real in-depth Alice/Hatter stuff will be start showing up in a couple chapters. But it will happen!

To **Umino Akiko**, I'm going to state how they found the Red Queen dead in another chapter. You're getting ahead of me. ;D

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 5: What Goes Up Must Come Down

_The Hatter fell to his knees. He was in a dark room, with a single spot light shining on him. His arms were shackled behind him, as were his ankles. There was a voice murmuring something in the background. Alice looked around, expecting to see the Red Queen somewhere. But she couldn't. It was just the Mad Hatter. And yet, there was something peculiar about that voice… _

"_You will be punished for associating yourself with the very being that had my mother exiled! You, Tarrant Hightopp, will regret your actions and suffer the consequences—"_

_That voice, Alice recognized, belonged to a male. She had heard that voice before. She recognized it from somewhere, but where?_

_Alice watched with bated breath as a figure stepped out from the shadows, half-way into the spot light. The figure remained mostly dark, the limbs barely defined even while partially in the spotlight. The face was unrecognizable; much too hidden to be able to see. Alice took a step forward. The figure raised an arm, as if to strike. Alice gasped and took another step forward, arms reached out to try and grab the figure. The figure, with every step Alice took, delivered a strong punch to the Hatter's abdomen. The Hatter's grunts cut into the silence. Alice stopped running, watching the Hatter with a frightened look on her face._

"_Hatter!" she exclaimed. _

_The Hatter looked up at Alice with that same friendly grin, though his eyebrows were furrowed in the attempt to hide the pain._

"_Don't worry, Alice," he said, panting slightly. "I'll be all right."_

"_Hatter! No!" Alice took one last foolish step towards Hatter, and the figure's hands grasped his throat. The White Rabbit appeared in his own spotlight suddenly, as did the Dormouse. But neither creature moved. They just watched as the figure strangled the Hatter. But something rather unusual happened. It felt as though _she_ were being strangled, not the Hatter. Without being touched, Alice could feel the tightness close around her neck, the increasing pressure, the perilous lack of oxygen-_

"No!"

Alice shot up in her bed, gasping, sweat breaking from her pale forehead. Her heart was racing, and she scrambled to try and get out of bed, to turn on the light switch and chase away whatever demons were hiding in the dark. Instead, her feet became tangled in her sheets and her nightgown, her arms flying this way and that to try and escape. She needed air, she needed air- !

"Alice!"

Alice felt warm arms wrap around her as she began to heave dry sobs of panic, pulling her from the tangled mess that were her bed sheets. A hand reached to touch her forehead, feeling for a fever of some kind. When none was found, she felt herself being rocked very slowly back and forth. The motion was comforting, soothing – it was enough to have her calm down and close her eyes again.

"_I'm a little tea pot, short and stout,_" sang the voice softly. Alice couldn't help but smile.

"_Here is my handle, here is my spout,"_ she replied in the same melody, her eyes still closed.

"But that song doesn't work for you, Alice. You are not short, nor stout, nor a tea pot!"

"Neither are you, silly," she said, forcing herself to look up at his face.

"No? I suppose not, then, but I always liked that song. My mother would always sing it to me when I was going to bed." The Hatter smiled down at Alice, his newly groomed orange hair hanging about and framing his face. The cover-up had been washed off of his face, and the red colour surrounded the bright green eyes in an almost Christmas-like manner. He wore Alice's father's old pajamas, which were much too big for him. But he claimed they were comfy.

"What are you doing awake, Hatter?" Alice asked in a soft voice. The Hatter looked away, out the window of her bedroom. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted. "After finding the Dormouse-"

"We gave her as good a burial as we could. You know very well we couldn't bring her to Wonderland. It would cause too much of a ruckus."

"_We_, Alice?" said the Hatter, looking up hopefully. She hesitated.

"Well… _You_, then."

His shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment. He let a few moments of silence pass before looked back down at Alice. He was still holding her. It was… nice.

"Were you dreaming, Alice?"

"I almost always dream," Alice said with a small smile. The Hatter, however, did not smile, instead surveying her with worry in his eyes.

"It did not sound like a good dream." A pause, and then- "You kept calling me. I thought you were awake, so I came out of the closet and I-"

"Let's forget about it," Alice said quietly. "I don't want to think about the dream anymore." The Hatter nodded in understanding. He made a move to release Alice, but her arms, which were laid on top of his own as he held her, tightened in grip. Her eyes were closed again. She didn't want him to let go.

"I'm sorry about Dormouse, Hatter," she said softly. He relaxed his arms and dared to rest his chin lightly on the top of her head. After finding his friend dead in Alice's garden, they had buried her. The Hatter had shed many tears while Alice tried to calm him down. Once or twice he had lapsed into an incomprehensible state, in which he either became overly distraught or overly angry, vowing vengeance in that oddly enticing brogue. (What? Was it wrong for her to notice at such a dramatic time?) Right then he was just his usual innocent Hatter self.

"I'm sorry too. …Um, Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"I… I think I need to go back to Wonderland. I have to figure out why this is all happening."

"I think so too, Hatter," Alice said quietly. The Hatter frowned.

"All my friends are suddenly appearing up here either injured or dead and I don't know why- it's not a nice thing, Alice. Not a nice thing at all! I don't even know where Rabbit is, I-"

"I know," Alice shushed, gently stroking his arm to try and calm him down.

"But I can't go back without you."

Alice winced slightly. She kept forgetting that the Hatter apparently needed her to return to Wonderland. And the thought of him going back to Wonderland so soon after introducing him to her family was rather depressing. Selfish as it was, she enjoyed having him up here in London. But a part of her knew he would never belong. He needed Wonderland.

"Remind me again why you can't fall down the Rabbit Hole," she said softly, glancing up at him. The Hatter stayed silent for a long time before answering. He had to be very careful about this.

"The- the Jabberwocky blood. The White Queen gave me what was left. But like I said, Alice, I can't get what I want if what I want doesn't want me! So to return to Wonderland without you would be an absolute waste of the White Queen's sacrifice! There's no more Jabberwocky blood left because of me. I can't, I-"

"No," Alice corrected gently. "I asked you why you _can't _fall down the Rabbit Hole, Hatter, not why you are afraid to." The Hatter took a few more moments to think about it. Then, rather dejectedly, he admitted,

"I… I suppose I _could_, Alice. But I don't want to without you there with me. That's what stops me. Do you understand?"

"Not really," Alice sighed. "The fact that you want something does not affect the ability to physically do something else. Hatter, you _can_ return without me. I am sure the White Queen will understand." The Hatter pursed his lips, trying another approach.

"But if I do go back to Wonderland, what am I to do? If someone is targeting us, how will a Hatter like me be able to save all of Wonderland? I need-"

"An Alice like me managed to save all of Wonderland a few years ago," she reminded him with a coy smile.

"But you are an Alice. An Alice is a very different creature compared to a Hatter! And we both already know an Alice can save Wonderland. No one knows if a Hatter can save Wonderland-" Alice couldn't help but laugh, and the Hatter stopped speaking, smiling instead as he enjoyed the soft rumble of her laugh against his body.

"Things are only impossible if you believe them to be, right Hatter?"

The Hatter exhaled a breath. He tried again to convince Alice to return to Wonderland with him.

"I don't think I could go back to Wonderland without you, Alice."

"You could try," she suggested gently. "Tomorrow, I'll show you to the Rabbit Hole. If you can't go in, we'll figure something out. Maybe I can go with you temporarily, so long as I can come back up again. But if you _can _fall through, then go without me, and we'll see each other again another time."

"When, Alice? When?" She took a long time to mull it over, but eventually she reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"When my father was sick, I asked him the same question. I said, 'Daddy, if you die, when will we see each other again?' And you know what he said?" The Hatter shook his head. Alice brought both their hands up to her heart.

"He said, 'Alice, pick a place, any place in your dreams, and I will see you there. Every time you dream of that spot, I will be there waiting for you. It will be our special place.' We could have a special place, too, Hatter. When you dream of a particular place, I will always be there waiting for you."

"… Alice?"

"Yes, Hatter?"

"That's a dumb idea."

It was a childish answer on Alice's part, filled with lost hopes and dreams and unfulfilled promises. No one could really control their dreams or who they saw in them unless aware they were dreaming. Sometimes not even then! He was pretty sure, after all, that Alice couldn't control her dreams whenever she got stuck in Wonderland as a child. Every time, she tried to wake herself up to no avail. But at least his response had made her laugh. He smiled at the sound. It was a light laugh; soft, but sweet.

"I suppose you are right, Hatter. That _is _a dumb idea. I've only dreamt about father once or twice, actually. But if you won't accept it, then maybe you'll have to accept that I just can't go with you to Wonderland and we may not see each other again."

"Are you sure you won't come with me, Alice?" The Hatter tried again, desperately. "Together, I'm sure we could stop whatever it is that is harming the citizens of Wonderland, I-"

"Hatter," she said softly. "I have responsibilities up here. Things I have to do. I can't just leave them now." The Hatter, after some time, reluctantly nodded.

"Go to sleep, Hatter," Alice said, settling into her sheets now. "Protect me from my nightmares. Tomorrow we will get up, get ready, you will have lunch with my family again, and then I will show you to the Rabbit Hole. Okay?"

The Hatter nodded again, against his will. He knew when he had lost. As much as he wanted to have Alice come with him to Wonderland, he couldn't force her. Things were growing urgent there, and he could no longer wait for her to come of her own free will. He needed to get to the bottom of what was causing all the attacks. He couldn't wait much longer, for fear of another death. He stood to go back to the closet, but Alice quickly snatched his wrist, her eyes closed.

"Hatter?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"Stay here with me, just for a little while… Until I fall asleep."

The Hatter hesitated a moment; this girl really was rather odd. She says no, crushes his very hopes and dreams and purpose for coming up to London, but she wants him to stay there and comfort her until she falls asleep? … She was lucky he could never say no to her. The Hatter grew suddenly bold looking at this dainty, young woman with blonde hair. He thought of something Albert had done earlier that night before she got ready for bed: mimicking him, he leaned forward and placed a single kiss on Alice's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, Alice."

* * *

When Alice awoke the next day, the Hatter was no longer in her bed. Upon inspection of her closet, she realized he wasn't there either. She frowned, feeling a slight anxiety wash over her. Where was he? Alice forced herself to stop looking for the time being and washed up for the rest of the day, deciding on wearing a light blue dress. She was actually pretty sure it was the same blue dress she had worn to her 'Engagement Party' all those years ago, but it still looked nice on her, so why not? Plus it would be the perfect dress to see Hatter off in. Her stomach dropped a little at the thought. She glanced out the window before heading down to breakfast, thinking that the Hatter was quite possibly at Dormouse's new grave. With this thought in mind, she went through breakfast, alerting Albert, her mother, and Margaret that Tarrant would be joining them again that day for lunch. Hopefully. Mrs. Kingsley seemed delighted, ("that fellow has such a funny way of speaking!") but Albert seemed less than thrilled. While her fiancé had admitted to no longer experiencing any hallucinations, something still left him uneasy in the Kingsley household.

Ten o'clock rolled around and Alice still saw no sign of Hatter. No orange hair flashing by, no coat tails flying around the corner… She had wandered the gardens, stopped by to lay a rose at Dormouse's grave, and nothing. No sign of the White Rabbit either. She gave up and spent the rest of the morning with Albert, talking endlessly of their upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Alice was beginning to think she couldn't hear anymore of white dresses and possible groomsmen when the clock struck twelve, signaling a bell that called them in for lunch. Alice looked around as they made their way to the Dining Room; still no sign of Hatter.

The Kingsleys and Albert ate peacefully, polite chatter ensuing once again. His parents would be back soon, Albert had said, and Margaret would be packing up and heading back to her own house within the next few hours. Alice remained silent, as she often did in group conversations. She seemed tense, Margaret noted, and Alice assured her sister that she simply hadn't slept well. By the time the doorbell rang, Alice visibly relaxed and practically ran to the door, throwing herself at the Hatter standing there in an almost violent hug.

"_Where_ have you been!" she hissed. "I was so-" She stopped mid-sentence, taking a good look at Hatter. He was wearing a suit that was actually quite similar to his Hatter outfit, except instead of all the odd patterns it was one mute, dark grey colour. And there were no bold ribbons or ruffles. It looked quite suitable for upper-class London, actually.

"Where did you get _that?_"

"It's my old suit," Hatter said with a nervous smile. "It's reversible." Regardless, his usual top hat was replaced with the large newsboy cap from yesterday, hair combed neatly and mostly hidden beneath it. The red around his eyes was hidden for the most part (he had probably found more of her cover up before leaving to walk around London), and he actually looked rather fetching.

"Where have you been, anyway?" she asked again.

"Walking with my thoughts. Exploring this London that you live in. The flowers don't talk. Did you know that?"

"Next time leave a note so you don't worry me to death," Alice muttered as she stepped aside to let him in. He smiled abashedly.

"Sorry, Alice."

"Don't worry about it. My family is waiting for you inside. And yes, in London it is normal for the flowers not to talk."

"How strange!"

The Kingsleys welcomed Tarrant as warmly as yesterday despite the tardiness, and Albert remained as distant as ever. Remarks were made about his unique outfit, and the Hatter modestly assured them that he was quite comfortable. Lunch time ended much too soon for both Alice and Hatter, and soon the two of them, with well-wishes from Mrs. Kingsley, were in a carriage off to Lord Ascot's mansion. ("I'm off to take Tarrant to the docks. He's going on another sailing trip – can we borrow a carriage?" Alice had asked. "But of course dear! You two stay safe!" had been the response.) Alice couldn't help but note Albert's peculiar response to the whole ordeal. The entire meal he had been distant and even bitter towards dear Tarrant. But the minute they spoke of the docks, Albert perked up and told them it was a splendid idea - probably because he was thrilled by the idea of Tarrant leaving on a sailing trip for an extended period of time. So there they were. The docks were not far from Lord Ascot's mansion, so in order to avoid questions they had agreed to get off at the docks and walk from there. The Hatter was fidgeting obscenely with the slightly frayed edges of his sleeves, and Alice watched the landscape blur by as their horses trotted down the path. Neither of them said a word, not even as they got off the carriage and walked.

When they finally arrived at the mansion, the groundskeeper waved hello to Alice and let her and Hatter into the garden.

"Lord Ascot and his wife are having tea by the statue of Virgo," he informed them, and with a polite nod Alice and Hatter made their way to the Rabbit Hole – in the very opposite direction of Lord Ascot and the Virgo statue. When they arrived, Hatter could barely believe that she had actually brought him here. How had he, just like all those years before, managed to convince himself that Alice may actually want to stay with him? Why did he want someone who didn't want him?

Alice leaned against the tree that housed the Rabbit Hole at its roots, her arms crossed. The Hatter removed his newsboy cap and shook his hair out, replacing it with his usual gigantic top hat that he had miraculously pulled out of his pocket. Alice decided not to ask. In her opinion, the top hat suited him more anyway.

"Well," he said reluctantly, the first word he had spoken in nearly two hours, "I guess this is goodbye, Alice."

"I guess so."

"You could always come with me," he suggested hopefully. That way he could drink the remaining drop of Jabberwocky blood needed to complete the wish and they could get into Wonderland together - _without _having to fall several hundred feet and shrink their way down through a door. Alice walked up to the Hatter and sent him that smile; that smile identical to the one she had sent him before she left him alone in Wonderland.

"I can't. It's not right. I can't just leave all these people behind."

"But what about the people you left behind in Wonderland?" Alice pressed a hand gently to his cheek.

"Goodbye, Hatter," was all she said.

The Hatter took a moment to hold her hand in his own, memorizing the feel of the soft, cool skin. But soon, much too soon, he found himself once again letting go of one of the few people he truly valued in his life.

"Goodbye, Alice."

Alice watched as the Hatter took a step towards the Rabbit Hole. He sent her one final glance over his shoulder.

"I won't forget you," she said.

"Nor will I forget you, Alice," he whispered.

Alice watched, her heart pounding. One step, and that was all it took.

The Hatter was gone, falling into the depths of Wonderland.

* * *

**A/N:** So what did you guys think? **THAT'S NOT THE END** I SWEAR. There is more. MUCH more. What's going to happen next? Stay tuned and find out! As usual, R&R for the next chapter! :3 And I think I should add in as a last note:

**I probably am not going to be posting Chapter 6 until either Late Thursday or very possibly around 11, 12 Friday. I am at school from 8-4 PST and then I work 5-9 PST on Thursday. So unless I don't get around to studying today (which is very possible) and instead write Chapter 6 to prep it for posting it on my break on Thursday, you won't be seeing a chapter until most likely Friday. Sorry guys!  
**


	6. Fallen, Followed, and Found

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N: **Thank you guys so much for the support and your patience! I especially want to thank those of you who are following the story and posting reviews on multiple chapters! I can't list all of your names, but I promise you that you haven't gone unnoticed. :) I'm happy that this has been received so well. I never expected so many people to read it! Again, thank you!

And to **VampKat**, I wanted to thank you for your review and assure you that the relationship between Alice and Hatter will grow over time. Alice won't realize she loves Hatter for a little while, but you'll see what happens in this chapter. I don't want to spoil anything in the Author's Notes. I hope it is not a disappointment!

To **Dagger Kitsune**, it is not at all sad that that's what you thought of – I see it now that I look back on it. Lol!

I hope this Chapter doesn't disappoint; I slept about an hour last night and then the rest of the night I had allergies. Yeah. You read that right. I had to get up every five minutes, blow my nose, and for hours felt like I was going to sneeze. It sucked. Greeeat night before a bio exam. Anyway I only have a little bit of time before my break ends, so – enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 6: Fallen, Followed, and Found

Could it really be considered falling when it was this boring?

The Hatter sighed as he plummeted deeper and deeper towards Wonderland, facing the top of the hole. A bright white light in the form of a circle could be seen, and nothing else. _Bye bye, London. Bye bye, Alice._ He crossed his arms over his chest, intertwining his fingers and twiddling his thumbs. He passed one piano, two, three, a few bookshelves… Yep. This was it. Back to normal. Back to Wonderland.

Suddenly, he heard a scream, followed by a bang. It wasn't just any bang, like the bang of a flying object hitting another flying object. It was a bang uncharacteristic of a rabbit hole that swallowed people and tossed them hundreds of feet deep towards an alternate world. And for a fraction of a second, he could see that small circle of light, the top of the hole, obstructed by another figure. Before he could get a better look though, he bounced off of a bed and continued falling, though this time he was facing the bottom, moving head first, almost ready to hit the ground. He forced himself to try and look up – something exceedingly difficult to do when falling – to catch a glimpse of what exactly had caused the bang. His eyes landed on the new, falling figure, able to recognize it anywhere and distinguish it amongst all of the miscellaneous objects. All of a sudden, the Mad Hatter was painfully aware that someone was falling down the hole with him.

He hit the floor – which was actually a ceiling – with a thud, but he didn't take time to focus on the pain or shock of the impact. Instead he scrambled to his feet, holding out his arms beneath the hole through which he had just fallen. One second passed, then two- _Come on, come on! There's only so much time before the room reverses!_

Finally, the Hatter caught something in his arms.

_Bingo!_

The force of impact was enough to reverse the room and have them hit the real floor. Whatever he caught landed on him, and he couldn't help but let out an 'oof' of discomfort.

"Alice!"

He struggled to help her up, to straighten out her hair and untangle her dress. That same frilly blue dress from the last time she was there. His heart was beating obscenely fast. What was she- Why was she here?

"H-Hatter…"

"Oh my- Alice! What are you doing here?!"

"Hatter," she said again, but this time his name was followed by a sharp intake of breath. The Hatter furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out what was wrong. Alice's face was scrunched up in pain, her arms covering her stomach.

"Alice, what's wrong?"

Then, he saw it.

Gently brushing aside her arms, wrapping them around his neck so she could use him for support, he saw it: that tiny hole in her torso, doused in dark red stains, which stretched further and further over the fabric of her blue dress.

"You're bleeding! Alice! You're- you're—" He could barely make out the words. He caught her as she fell roughly against him, coughing, sputtering.

"Oh my- Oh my goodness."

He looked around. No key could be found, but rather- a note:

_White Rabbit took the key to the small door upon his return to Wonderland. Kick the third door on your left, with the stripes; it will be of much better use to you._

_-Chessur_

The Hatter didn't waste time, though he did silently thank the heavens that the White Rabbit was back in Wonderland. He kicked the door mentioned in the note and it swung open easily enough. He suddenly found himself stepping out of the rather large trunk of a tree, his eyes falling upon his familiar tea table. Except it was not so familiar: No Rabbit. No Dormouse. No Hare. No _tea. _Just-

"Chess! Oh Chess, look- Alice!" With some effort, he swung Alice up into his arms and rushed over to the Cheshire Cat, who was seated in the Hatter's usual seat at the head of the table. He had a stretched grin on his face, as though he knew they had been coming.

"Oh my," said the Cat, looking down at Alice with clear disapproval. "Doesn't she ever change her clothes?"

"No, not that!" exclaimed the Hatter, his eyes bugging slightly. "She – she's been- shot!"

"Shot? My, my. What a terribly primitive and uninteresting way to try and kill someone," said the Cat in that drawl of a voice. The Hatter waved his hand dismissively, but the Cat went on, now noticing the grey suit he was wearing as opposed to the usual bold suit with the ruffles.

"Hatter, what on earth are you _wearing? _It's nothing short of boring."

"Not now, Chessur, not now! What do we do? She's hurt!"

As if on cue, Alice moaned, clutching her stomach.

"She's pale, much too pale Chess, we have to help her, we have to _save _her!"

"All right," hushed the Cat, floating up by Alice's head to take a closer look. He reached a digit out to touch the bullet wound.

"Calm now, Hatter. Let me see. Aha." He pressed all the digits of his paws routinely in pulse motions against Alice's torso, and Hatter cleared some space on the tea table before laying her down. Alice fought against the Cat's touch, but Hatter placed his hands gently on Alice's arms to keep her still while soothing her.

"What? What is it?"

"No harm done. She's just a baby, that's all. The bullet hit one of her ribs. Didn't go through an internal organ. Didn't break any ribs or go through them. The power of the shot was quite weak, the bullet small. She'll just have a bruised rib for a few weeks, maybe permanently dented, but other than that, she'll be fine. Give me a moment."

The cat evaporated into thin air.

"Chess- Chessur?! Where did you go?!" Hatter called out, looking around. Then he looked down to Alice's pale face, feeling her stir. Her light eyes were fierce.

"Who's he calling a baby?" she asked weakly. "I can guarantee you he's never been shot before, what with having the ability to-" Alice gasped, clutching her stomach. The Hatter immediately reached out to her, though his arms avoided touching her, only there for support if she needed it. What should he do? Was she okay? Barely a second later the small, golden bullet looked as though it floated out of Alice's wound and the Cat reappeared, holding the bloody thing between two of his digits, that same creepy smile on his face.

"Got it. Hatter, you still have some of that salve I gave you before you left?" The Hatter reached into his pockets, searching through about four of them before he pulled out a vial, half-full of the same pink liquid Alice had seen him treat the White Rabbit with.

"Great. Slather it on. She'll heal, though she should probably stay still for a while. Takes about an hour to heal the skin nice and tough, though she will be able to walk and move before that without much trouble."

Hatter undid the buttons that concealed Alice's stomach, though he made sure to preserve her modesty, not showing much more than the skin broken by the bullet. His heart fluttered, but he scolded himself. Now was not the time for foolish feelings! After applying the salve to his fingertips, he gently began to massage it into her bullet wound. Alice hissed in pain, causing the Hatter to retract his arms rather fast.

"Am I hurting you, Alice?" he asked worriedly.

"Keep going, Hatter," she said, panting. "I'm fine."

So he did, gently massaging it into the bullet wound despite Alice's sharp intakes of breath. Accepting a cloth from the Cat afterwards, he wrapped it tightly around Alice's midsection, dressing the wound, sliding his hands beneath the fabric of her dress while being careful not to rip it. Alice's heart was beating oddly fast, but she blamed it on everything else that was going on. She had just been shot! Yes, that was it. That was why she was so shaky.

Soon enough the Hatter had buttoned up her dress again, and took a seat by her head while she remained lying on the table. His cheeks were pink, but he focused on the situation at hand.

"Alice, what happened?" he finally asked her. "Why are you here?" She didn't even have time to respond. The Hatter took the tiny Alice in his arms, hugging her close, hugging her tight. The Cat watched, off to the side and still floating, a sly smirk on his face. The Hatter had never been quite the same after Alice left. He had been much more quiet.

"Hatter," Alice gasped. "I can't breathe."

"Sorry, Alice," he said embarrassedly, immediately releasing his hold. "But what happened?"

"I don't know," she said softly. Her fingertips brushed across the fabric of her dress, damp with her blood. The salve was working much faster than any salve they would have in London. The once searing pain was replaced by a dull throb; a soreness that was actually manageable. There was still pain, but it was a relief compared to what she felt just minutes ago.

"Well, I remember seeing you jump into the hole. I turned around to leave, but… but someone shot me before I could even begin to walk away."

The Hatter's eyes flashed orange.

"Who?" he asked, voice low.

"I… didn't see," Alice said again, helplessly. The Hatter pursed his lips together, as if biting back a comment. He didn't say anything, but he was fidgeting with a handkerchief off of the tea table. Alice reached out and placed it over his to calm his movements.

"Thank you for catching me, Hatter."

The Hatter grinned.

"Thank you for falling."

"_O_kay," said the Cat, tapping his digits together in an almost menacing matter. "I hate to interrupt the gratitude party but I should probably let you know that Alice will most likely have no more than an hour before she's found."

"Found?" they both repeated, looking up at the floating Cat.

"Why, yes. Has nobody told you? Alice is wanted. Bugs have been planted all over Wonderland to try and find her. I'm surprised you even came back!"

"Why—"

"Oh, beats me," said the Cat calmly, batting a paw. "They've already taken the Rabbit and the White Queen. I think they were looking for Dormouse too, but she disappeared as much as you two did."

Alice and Hatter shared a look.

"Why haven't they taken you, Chessur?" asked the Hatter, and the cat just grinned from ear to ear before disappearing once again in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"I just don't understand," Alice said for the hundredth time, now sitting up on the edge of the Hatter's tea table. He remained in his seat, fiddling with the edges of his sleeves. The Dormouse was dead – unbeknownst to Chessur – but the White Rabbit had been attacked, then for some reason returned to Wonderland, then captured! And now apparently they were to find and take Alice too? Before she had a real chance to fully recover?

"How can they have bugs planted all over Wonderland? And why are they trying to find _me?_ I thought the Red Queen was dead; who could be looking for me now?"

"Well, Alice," said the Hatter, adapting his matter-of-fact tone, "There are thousands of bugs – millions, maybe – all over Wonderland. They probably just made each bug a bug and left them to bug all activity in Wonderland, hmm?"

Alice shook her head as she tried to understand the ramble. The Hatter went on.

"A while back, the White Queen went to visit her sister in exile with Stayne. She was going to tell bighead – er – her sister that she was willing to give her a second chance, so long as she stayed in her castle and abided by her rules. I know all this of course because the White Queen told me. Trusts me." The Hatter sent Alice a toothy smile, and Alice couldn't help but smile herself.

"But when she came back she pronounced the Red Queen dead, as well as Stayne. Both were found stacked on top of each other, pierced by one sword, right through! Unbelievably difficult, that way of murder. You need a really long sword. Anyway, she brought back the bodies and had them buried in the local cemetery. Every day she would lay a red rose for her sister, and weep."

"How tragic," Alice said, with only a slight hint of sarcasm. She had never liked that nasty Red Queen. How could anyone mourn for that wretched woman?

"Mhm. And as for searching for you… I haven't a clue. Everything was fine and dandy when I left for London." The Hatter had a troubled frown on his face, but it quickly disappeared when he saw the disturbed look on Alice's. Her blonde hair was already slightly dirty, touched a bit at the ends with blood from her wound, but that didn't seem to be what was bothering her. Not even the fact that she knew she was being hunted seemed to bother her. She seemed to be more concerned with asking the question _why._ In fact, right then her pensive gaze was focused on the sky.

"Alice, are you all right?"

"Yes, Hatter, I'm fine."

"Alice, you've been shot at, you're being hunted, and you're claiming you're fine!" The Hatter waved his arms wildly to emphasize the absurdity of her response. Alice smiled, but she said nothing.

"… Is it Albert?" he asked after a few moments. That made Alice tense.

"Hmm?"

"Are you thinking about Albert right now, while you're here with me?"

Alice didn't speak for a long while. In fact, instead of speaking, she started walking; walking fast, and the Hatter fell easily into stride after getting up from his seat. Alice stopped at a particularly nice-looking tree, with bark the colours of the rainbow. The Hatter leaned against the trunk and glanced at Alice. She felt the smooth bark of the tree before she finally looked back at him.

"I am already here, Hatter," she finally said in a soft voice, tone wavering slightly. He squinted, noticing her eyes glassing over slightly from tears.

"Albert and everyone else… I can't do anything about that now. All I can do is try to go back to them, as soon as possible. But I'm here, and I may as well help you, if Wonderland's in so much trouble--" A tear escaped against her wishes, and the Hatter drew Alice close against his chest, as though he were cradling a child. She really didn't want to be here. And he couldn't make her stay.

"I'll take you back, Alice," he whispered in her ear. "If that is what you truly want. You shouldn't feel obligated to stay."

Alice looked up at Hatter through watery eyes. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and she did the same to him. Alice smiled, her fingers toying with the ends of his hair.

"What's your natural hair colour? Beneath all the effects of the mercury?"

"Beneath the orange?" Hatter hummed in thought. After a few moments, he looked back to Alice with a playful smile.

"More orange."

Alice giggled and lowered her hand. He just smiled. The memories of Alice and Albert together were occupying the Hatter's mind, and his expression suddenly faded into one of gentle curiosity. Their faces were so close, and he could swear their lips were almost touching as they spoke.

"Alice?"

"Hatter?"

"What is it like to kiss someone on the lips?"

The question was quiet, innocent. Alice paused. How did one respond to such a question? She reached up and gently placed a hand on his cheek, and he closed his eyes at the touch. Alice even felt him pressing his cheek lightly against her hand in response. It took a few moments, but suddenly the Hatter remembered himself and whom he was with. Alice was _engaged_, and the question he had asked her was extremely inappropriate, no matter how much he disliked her betrothed. He didn't wait for her response to his question, even if for a split second he thought he saw Alice moving closer to him, pink lips just a little puckered. Why torture himself like this? She was just going to be leaving again, anyway. So instead, he smiled awkwardly and took a step away from her, clearing his throat. He gently removed her hand from his cheek, lowering it back to her side. He could feel himself shutting down, guarding his emotions.

"Well, I- er… we should get you back to the door, before whoever is looking finds you," he said, self-consciously straightening out the wrinkles in his suit before gesturing to the door in the tree not far away. Alice reached a hand out to Hatter, but he quickly looked away and took another step back.

"Wait! Hatter, I—"

"I can't make you stay where you don't want to stay, Alice."

"Ah! Well, that's good. I believe I'll just take her home, then."

Hatter jumped at the smug, familiar voice, turning and instinctively moving in front of Alice to shield her from any possible danger. His eyes flashed orange when he realized who was standing there.

"Well, hello _Tarrant._ How lovely to see you."

* * *

**A/N: **Per usual, R&R for the next chapter! Hope the fic is not too boring or too sucky, haha! Wish me luck on my bio exam! XD (I should technically be studying right now...)


	7. A Hatter You've Never Seen

Up From Wonderland

Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N: **Wow guys, you're amazing! I was in my bio exam for less than two hours, I came out and my Blackberry had over _one hundred_ e-mails from . Not all of them were reviews, of course, but many subscribers and those adding this fic to their "Favourite Stories" – thank you. :3 My inbox was also recently flooded with messages asking some questions about the story, and I thought I'd let you all know you can pop me a message if you want a response, but I do try to respond to reviews that ask me questions. Thanks for all the well-wishes on the bio exam guys!

To **Adririn**, thank you for the critique. I will do my best to try and keep them in better character. :3 Sometimes I wonder how the Hatter would deliver a particular line I have in mind, but then I realize I don't have the movie to study the character further. Auuuggh! xD Wish it was on DVD already. The Hatter's violent side will show in this chapter but towards the end his usual self shows a little more. Let me know how I did. I'm trying my best. :)

To **xBlackRabbitx**, wow, I completely did not realize I used the word 'mum'. Thanks for letting me know and I'll be sure to avoid such slang regarding relatives in the future xD I'll go back and change it when I have the time.

**And as a few notes, I went back and edited Chapter 6, changing it from **_**Chester **_**to **_**Chessur**_**. Seems I made a mistake. In this chapter the Cheshire Cat will be referred to as Chessur. My bad, guys! **

All right, enough with that. Here's Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 7: A Hatter You've Never Seen

"Albert!"

Alice pushed past the Hatter and ran towards him. Her blue eyes were wide with confusion, but he caught her and drew her to his side, keeping his arm out protectively as though shielding her from the Hatter. The Hatter did his best not to show the hurt on his face. This was how it would always be:

Alice and Albert together, on one side, and the Hatter completely alone on the other.

"Nice to see where you've been taking my dear Alice. I knew I was right to follow you – I knew you were up to no good!"

"Albert, how did you get down here?" Alice asked, but Albert wouldn't look at her. His glare was fixated on the mess of a man in front of him.

"Didn't you hear me? I followed you both! I could barely believe it when I saw Tarrant jump into a tiny hole! Then I saw someone shoot you, and you fell in and I- I have no idea what's going on Alice, I have no idea how we managed to fit down a very small rabbit hole, but we need to get _out_ of here! I came, I followed, I watched as a cat took a bullet out of you before evaporating into thin air - now I want to leave."

"Why didn't you chase after the shooter?" asked the Hatter suspiciously. _Then you wouldn't be here right now, you old- Wait. _Albert fell down the hole? Why hadn't he seen him fall or even emerge from the door? He had just… appeared. The Hatter blinked.

"Hmm, _Tarrant_," Albert said, tone of voice dripping with disdain, "Should I chase after the shooter or after my dying fiancée? What would _you_ choose?" He turned to Alice and brought her roughly against his chest, burying his face in her blonde hair. The Hatter's eyes flashed orange again.

"Alice, sweetheart," Albert whispered desperately, kissing Alice between his words. The Hatter glared.

"I don't know where we - are and I don't know - what's going on, but I want out. Let's go – together."

It happened all at once.

In one fell swoop, the Hatter and Albert were on the ground. Alice was pushed aside from the impact, and she had to take a moment to clutch at her stomach from the pain in her ribs. Damn bullet. She was still somewhat weak; easily hurt. She could hear an uncharacteristic snarl come from the Hatter as he delivered a heavy blow to Albert's face. He was even muttering in that thick accent as struggled to hit Albert, words of incomprehensible hate.

"Stop!" Alice gasped, reaching an arm out towards the two figures fighting vigorously in the grass. "Stop, _please!_"

But they didn't. Albert rolled on top of the Hatter and kneed him between the legs. He even grasped at his shirt and shook him violently back and forth. The Hatter groaned, releasing Albert and doubling over in pain. Albert let out a triumphant laugh, scrambling away. He got to his feet, and within a few seconds, the Hatter slowly did too, a wince etched onto his face.

"Got a little anger problem, do you?" asked Albert in a low, quiet voice so Alice couldn't hear. "Got a little problem with Alice choosing me over you? I saw you – I saw you over there by that tree! She wouldn't even kiss you. But who would? You're a _freak_! You have weird eyes and weird skin and awful hair! How could anyone, let alone Alice, even _try _to love y-"

The Hatter punched Albert again with that snarl, and the fight resumed. Alice ran up to them, yelling for them to stop. Why were they fighting in the first place? She placed her hands firmly on either man's chest, pushing them apart. Albert stopped struggling against her hold, but the Hatter kept trying to reach him. Days of pent-up jealousy and anger towards this Albert man were finally being released. Days of seeing him fawn over Alice, kissing her in public. It wasn't enough, was it? Alice wasn't enough, now he had to be in _Wonderland_ – the one place Alice and him shared _without_ Albert being in the picture. Now even that place was taken away. Albert was everywhere. The Hatter had no idea why he felt so strongly, but he did! He was muttering, _still_ muttering-

"I said, _stop!_ Hatter!" Alice exclaimed, grabbing at Albert's and the Hatter's shirts and giving them one final shove away from each other. The Hatter remembered himself, and as if a light switch had been turned on, he slipped out of that furious state. His eyes flickered back to green, and Albert took a step back at the change. What the-?

"Right," the Hatter said, panting. "Right. Sorry. Very sorry." He cleared his throat and looked to Albert with a pleasant, awkward smile.

"Are you all right?" he asked, as though they had simply run into each other rather than engaged in a fight. Albert just stared. Alice, however, still hadn't removed her hand from the Hatter's chest. He had something in his breast pocket.

Something was wrong, and he could sense it immediately. He glanced at her as he felt the warmth of her hand leave his chest. She was looking at her own hands now. She was, he noticed for the first time, holding something.

"This," Alice said, "was in your pocket." The Hatter's face melted into one of confusion, and Albert watched to two of them suspiciously.

"Sorry?" said the Hatter, confused. "I-in my pocket?"

"Hatter…" she whispered again in disbelief. His gaze flickered to her face. She was worrying him.

"Alice? Did I do something wrong?"

Alice took a step back, her eyes now round with incredulity and anger. The Hatter reached out for her but she staggered backwards, almost falling in the process. Albert caught and stabled her easily despite the bruises from the fight.

"I don't underst- Alice. What's wrong?" The Hatter tried once again to reach out to her, taking another step towards her, but she held one arm out to keep at a distance, tightening the grasp of what was in her other hand.

"Don't _touch _me!" The Hatter stopped, looking as though someone had scolded him. Albert watched through one black eye, making sure the Hatter wasn't trying to cause any trouble. Alice, the Hatter observed, did not cry nor scream. Alice was calm in her anger. Instead of an outburst, Alice – _the _Alice – sent him a steely glare that made him feel as though he were just stabbed in the heart.

"You will _never_ touch me again."

She threw the object at him, and it hit his clothes with a sickening _splat._ He fumbled to catch it; Alice ran off after one last glare at Hatter, and Albert immediately chased after her.

"Wait!" the Hatter could hear Albert call after her.

But the Hatter paid no mind. He looked down to the object in his hand:

A white rabbit's severed paw freshly covered in blood - and knotted tightly around it was the chain of a golden pocket watch, the actual clock swinging back and forth where it hung in the air.

_No._

"No! Alice, wait! I didn't, I swear--"

The Hatter watched, sadness expressed on his face as Alice ran as fast as her legs could carry her. He couldn't move. He was in shock. None of this made sense. Where had the paw come from? Why was it still warm and half-drenched in blood? Could it really belong to the White Rabbit? Was the White Rabbit—

The Hatter gulped. No. The White Rabbit couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. This wasn't his paw. It was another rabbit's, yes. Another rabbit that owned a pocket watch. After all, Chessur had said the Rabbit was taken already. Alice had this all wrong. He couldn't have cut off the White Rabbit's paw if he was in confinement. No. The White Rabbit _wasn't_ dead, this _wasn't_ his paw, and the Hatter certainly did nothing to obtain this paw! Yes. It was all very logical and made perfect sense. But where had it come from? Someone purposefully slipped it into his pocket while he wasn't looking, that was for sure. But who?

… Why did he ask questions that he knew the answer to?

He looked up as he heard Albert yell for Alice again. Despite his panic regarding both Alice and the White Rabbit, he noticed something peculiar. Albert was running after her, but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the Hatter.

Albert _grinned._

The Hatter heard one loud bang and knew nothing but darkness.

* * *

"Alice! Alice, darling, wait! We're running _away_ from the door. We should be heading _towards_ the door!"

Alice kept running. She ran and she ran and she ran until she could run no more. She collapsed on the ground, fighting for air. What was happening? Just a week ago she had been more than happy, engaged to Albert up in London. But now she had spent the last few days hiding a Hatter, healing a talking White Rabbit and finding a dead Dormouse!

"Alice, really. I've had enough of this terrible place and I really just want to go back to London."

"Door," Alice gasped between attempts to recapture her breath.

"I'm sorry?" said Albert, reaching for Alice's hand and stroking it.

"Door. Over there." Alice pointed, and Albert turned to look. There was a tiny, gray door sitting atop a stone. It was completely out in the open, with no trees to hide it.

"… Why are there so many doors in really odd places here?" He looked left and right as though something was about to jump out at them, but after assuring himself that no creature was there, he turned back to Alice. She was sitting on a rock, her eyes red.

"Is this why you've been acting so odd lately?" Albert asked, sitting beside her and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes, and the Hatter's face flashed through her mind. How could she have trusted him? Let him stay in her closet, let him stay in her house? He turned out to be a cold-blooded killer of Wonderland creatures. But it… it just didn't seem like him. But why else would he have Rabbit's poor, still warm, bloody paw with him?

"I just thought that maybe you were having second thoughts about the marriage…"

"Oh, Albert, no. That's not it at all. Um… I'm sorry. I really don't want to talk about that right now. There's a lot on my mind." Albert nodded understandingly as Alice silently looked at her lap. He took several moments to survey the surroundings before looking at her. He had to say _something._

"When I followed you… there was a cat that could talk. He said… you were wanted. What are you wanted for?"

"I don't know," Alice sighed. Was she starting to find Albert a little annoying?

"But… shouldn't we hide or something?"

"We'll hide in that door, if anybody comes," Alice said passively, nodding to the small grey door.

"But can we even fit through it?" he asked, squinting. "It's bloody tiny."

"Oh, right," Alice sighed. "You need a small bottle of potion that shrinks you."

"… Please tell me that I'm not mad. Or that I'm dreaming," Albert sighed, wistfully dreaming for London again. Alice sent him a weak smile before squinting at the dirt by their boulder.

"Hey. Wait a second." She reached down and picked up a small, clear vial, with a tattered label that read "Drink Me" tied to it.

"That's odd," she said, glancing up. "Why is it on this side of the door?"

All of a sudden a loud, high-pitched squawk sounded from above. The couple looked up to the sky, and flying down at them at an amazing speed was a terribly large and hideous eagle. Albert screamed and pointed.

"What is _that?!_"

"Duck!"

"That's not a-"

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed Albert's shoulders down, bringing them both to lay flat on the dirt ground. The eagle swooped over them and continued flying towards the door. Alice gasped.

"No! Wait! Don't-"

The ground shook slightly as the small, stone door crumbled to pieces due to the eagle's attack. It flapped its wings and glided smoothly, turning and heading right back towards Alice and Albert.

"Run!"

The other door inside the tree by the tea table: it was their only chance.

* * *

_All he could hear were words. He could see a door. Amidst all the darkness was a single, solid, oak door. He recognized that door. It was from Alice's house. He walked up to it. It was slightly ajar, and he spotted a figure standing by a vanity, talking to the mirror._

"_Things are going exactly as planned. At this rate I should have her and the freak there in a couple of days. Yes I'm sure." There was another sound, like tiny footsteps. Quick, quiet footsteps of a small creature running about on wood._

"_Don't worry. We'll have that pretty blonde head on a silver platter in no time. And that ugly hat from the freak, too. Ah- what the- what is that?!"_

"_I won't let you hurt Alice and the Hatter!" The sound of a small sword being unsheathed. A few seconds passed and then a high-pitched squeak could be heard throughout the room, followed by the opening of a window._

"_Good riddance, rodent."_

"I must say, you really know how to get yourself into trouble."

_What a pleasant voice. Not a nice sleep, though. Terrible sleep at that. Very uncomfortable. I wonder where I am._

"You were here what, not even an hour before you were caught? Good show."

_Who is that? Oh wait. I know the answer to my question. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. It's Chessur, my long-time disappearing friend. What a nice cat. A very nice Cheshire Cat indeed._

"Open your eyes, lad, you look like a fool."

The Hatter's eyes fluttered open. He had to blink several times to get his vision in focus, but once he did, his lips curved upward in a sleepy grin. Was it all a dream terrible dream? Was Alice back in Wonderland again?

"Hullo, Chessur. Where am I?" The cat floated haughtily above the Mad Hatter's head.

"Welcome to prison. You are officially terrible at getting the girl and living happily ever after."

"Prison?" The Hatter sat up, taking in his surroundings. It hadn't been a dream?

"We're in prison?"

"No," said the Cheshire Cat, rolling his eyes. "_You_ are in prison. They cannot put _me_ in prison. I evaporate!" The Cat disappeared in a flash of mild smoke, then reappeared, to prove his point.

"See?"

"How very odd. What happened?" the Hatter asked, trying to remember, scratching has hat with confusion as though it were his head.

"You think you could avoid prison? You murdered the Dormouse and cut off the White Rabbit's paw. Things like that don't cut it in Wonderland."

"I did?" The Hatter took a moment to think about it before looking at the Cat. "No I didn't."

"You're right. You didn't. But the person who did is very good at framing you. According to the legal documents of Wonderland, you are a murderer."

The Cheshire Cat grinned.

"My, my. Where's Alice?" the Hatter asked, sitting up in a sudden haste. The Cheshire Cat shrugged uncomfortably.

"Chessur, how long have I been in prison?"

"A night and a day."

"What happened? How did I get here?"

"Some guards," the Cat said. "They found you unconscious in the field."

"Oh. How did I become unconscious? Was I shot?"

"Heavens no. No one knows, but they took advantage of the state and arrested you."

_Strange… I thought I heard a gun shot._

"And where," Hatter asked again, "is Alice?"

The Cat looked around the small, barred cell. Everywhere you looked there was cement and metal. Eventually he floated outside of the bars and motioned to the cell across from the Hatter's. Blonde hair fell over the face of a young girl, shackled to the wall. Alice! Hatter realized only then that he was shackled too.

"What's she doing here?" he asked. "Why isn't she in London yet?" His eyebrows furrowed with worry. She left him behind in Wonderland, wouldn't come back when he came up to London to ask her to, and now, for Heaven's sake, without accepting any other explanation she thought he was a murderer! Why did he care so strongly about someone who clearly cared very little for him? He felt his heart sink a little in his chest at the thought of their almost-kiss. No, he convinced himself. Alice would never care for him the same way she cared for—

"Albert!" The Hatter exclaimed suddenly again. "Where's Albert, Chessur?"

"They brought them both in a few hours ago. Separated them. Albert's in a separate wing," the Cat said in that cocky murmur. "They were trying to run from the eagle guards. Naturally. I think everyone's instinct is to run from a gigantic eagle preying on them."

"We have to get her back to London. She doesn't want to be here. With me. …W-With us, I mean. She doesn't want to be here with us. Yes. We have to get her back up to London. Where she wants to be- where she's _safe--_" He tugged at his chains, only to notice something in the corner of his cell. He squinted.

"When you're done rambling, do you fancy a run with us?" asked the Cat. The Hatter's squint turned into a full, wide-eyed stare as a limping, three-legged White Rabbit in a waist coat – with _no_ pocket watch - came out from the shadows to join them. His ear looked better, at the very least. He looked timid, even nervous, but he genuinely smiled upon seeing the Hatter. The Cheshire Cat grinned again.

"I was thinking of helping you both out of here in exchange for that delightful hat of yours."

* * *

**A/N**: So? Was it terrible? *o* A lot is happening right now and it seems confusing, but it will all be explained later. xD If you have any questions you want me to answer in the next chapter, please feel free to ask!

PS Chester = Chessur for those of you that didn't read my above author's notes. Went back and edited when I realized the name was actually Chessur, not Chester. xD R&R for the next chapter and let me know what you thought. Thanks guys! ^_^


	8. How it All Began

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: **Those of you using firefox**, you may or may not see a line that divides scenes of my story. It's weird – the ones starting and ending the fanfic show up, but the ones _in _the actual fanfic don't. I use Safari and can see them all, but with firefox I can never see the lines dividing the scenes. If you don't see the lines, try another internet browser.

Thanks for putting up with the last chapter guys. Based on your feedback some people found it quite confusing! But it should have been, seeing as you have no idea what's going on and who is responsible for what. I didn't want to give everything away all at once right away, but from the last chapter the main points you should have picked up are:

1. Alice is wanted by somebody in Wonderland. She and Albert have been captured and placed in prison.

2. There's something fishy about Albert.

3. Somebody has framed the Hatter for murder of the Dormouse and violence towards the White Rabbit. He has also been placed in prison.

4. The italicized paragraph before the Hatter wakes up in prison is his memory of what he heard outside the door in Chapter 3.

**Aras Potter:** Thank you so much for the correction – I edited it as soon as I read your review! XD I felt very silly after.

**Pocketwatchgirl: **Thanks for letting me know, I went back and corrected it. :)

**Daydreaming-with-ink: **You've seen it twice?! I want to see it twice, even if only for the Fudder (Futter?) whacking dance. I saw it opening day so unfortunately my memory of how a lot of the characters acted gets a little fuzzy. And everyone interprets characters a tad differently so it's hard to please everyone -- but I am doing my best!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 8: How it All Began

He had never really approved of his mother's ways; of the way she ruled Wonderland. "Fear is better than love," she would say. He never agreed as a child. Then again, he was one of those who feared her. He loved her too, in a sense. In the way a son has to love his mother. He admired her power and was happy for the home she provided. Sure, she was always yelling, but she was the Queen of Hearts. Surely that meant something?

He watched her from afar for years growing up. He'd been conceived out of wedlock, and as such, had to be hidden. He was just the nice servant boy to those who knew him. Not that that ever bothered him. The more privacy, the better. He had no idea how he would be treated if he was the well-known son of the Red Queen: a love child. A bastard. He just thanked the Wonderland skies that he hadn't been born with an oversized head. In fact, he inherited a lot of his traits from his father. He was tall, though not gigantic, slim, though not lanky, with dark hair, just like the Knave of Hearts. He would watch, as a child, as his father dutifully fake-fawned over his mother, and every time he saw them together he would have to resist the urge to laugh out loud.

"The one good thing to take from this," his father would say whenever they got a few minutes to themselves, "is that beneath that gigantic head and obnoxious personality is _power._ After she dies, son – and she will – _we_, the men, will run Wonderland. No more queens. Just us."

That kept him going.

He grew up happily, taking comfort in the small but strong bond he and his father shared. While he strongly resembled his father, he did inherit one thing from his mother: greed. He yearned for the power his mother had, the power his father had yet to take from her. As he grew into adolescence, his longing for ruling Wonderland with Stayne by his side gew, and he found, out of the sugar-coated lies of childhood, he too began to desire fear over love. He craved to be treated and adored with fear just like his mother. He especially looked forward to becoming of age in Wonderland. As soon as he became an adult, his father promised him, they would take Wonderland from the Red Queen and it would all be _theirs._

He _hated_ it when nothing went according to plan.

The day of his nineteenth birthday someone had stumbled into Wonderland. Someone from the other world, above the Rabbit Hole. She was blonde and very pretty, and had even stayed in the castle for a short while. His dad had taken a liking to her, for she was, at the time, large just like him. But if only they had known that giant girl would ruin everything. They would have never let her into the castle. He watched as this girl no older than he practically ripped Wonderland out of their hands and passed it on to that fluttering airbrain, sending his parents to exile in the process. How could Wonderland want to be controlled by a woman with white hair and dark eyebrows, arms always lifted and chin always stuck up in the air like some prissy fairy? No. No, they needed a more dominant figure. Like him.

So he set up his plan: he would rule Wonderland and kill all those that had it taken from him and his father in the first place. It was a simple plan, terrible in nature and ethicality. But he liked the sound of it. Alice didn't waste time, and returned to London shortly after slaying the Jabberwocky. He would follow her, he decided, and befriend her. Bring her back down to Wonderland and avenge his parents' exile. But first he needed some power. He needed some sort of… limited 'omnipotence' in Wonderland. So he chose fear. Just like his dear mother. He chose weak, damaged Wonderlandians and bribed them for help. He sought out the White Queen protesters and offered alliance. After a couple months of recruiting he had a small army; a group of followers. He finally had his first taste of true authority, and he reveled in it. They treated him like a king, what with all of his promises of a better Wonderland.

A better Wonderland for _him_, anyway.

By the end of the third month he had connections in the local prison. He even had some of his followers join the White Queen's castles as spies; people with power in the court system. His base in Wonderland was complete, and it was time to locate Alice.

That, fortunately enough, wasn't too hard.

There was a tea table that was infamous for its parties in Wonderland. Always occupied by members that ranged from slightly mad to very mad, people tended to avoid the area completely to refrain from being wished a very merry unbirthday. There was one topic they always discussed, though, that he found useful:

Alice.

The head of the tea party, always dressed in tattered clothes and a large hat, would inquire of Alice each time the White Rabbit or the Cheshire Cat joined them. Unfortunately he was also Hatter to the White Queen, so he saw him around a lot, in passing. The rabbit, who popped into London to check on Alice occasionally, would always tell them what specific city she was in. She was apparently sailing, and constantly changing location, but the rabbit would overhear the information from Alice's mother, who spoke proudly of her daughter to many.

She had just arrived in Hong Kong the day that he chose to eavesdrop the tea party, and apparently they were looking for new sailors to join them on their trip to London. So he set off to the White Castle. The queen, as always, welcomed him graciously, seeing as he was 'acquainted' with many of its inhabitants. He tried not to roll his eyes as she flitted about this way and that. He could only put up with her for so much longer. There were two things he needed from here: mirrors.

Not just any mirrors. They were mirrors that offered communication and transport between the above world and Wonderland. Just visualize where you want to go and you will arrive there. One mirror, attached to a vanity, was to remain in the castle. The other was handheld: its partner, one that you were meant to take with you in order to remain in communication with Wonderland. The White Queen never used it now that Alice had fulfilled her duties, and it remained locked away in a room deep beneath the castle.

With the help of his 'acquaintances,' he gained access to the mirrors easily and slipped the portable one into his pocket. The key to the room was stolen off of its hook and put back within a very small amount of time – just enough time to let him in and out. The White Queen, surprisingly, never noticed. Shows how much of an airhead she was; if Wonderland should have a ruler, it should at least be someone who notices when their powerful possessions go missing. Then again, he was bitter and his spies were very good at covering up their tracks. The White Queen, so good in nature, never suspected anything. So using the powers of the mirrors, he thought of Alice and emerged beneath the docks of Hong Kong harbour, dressed in 'London' clothes he made himself. With the help of some of his followers who brewed potions for the White Queen, he had also managed to drastically change his appearance: Light brown hair, green eyes instead of brown, with a more thick figure as opposed to the slender figure he naturally possessed. They even managed to change the features of his face, making him unrecognizable. He was no longer the simple slave boy from the Red Castle, or friend to those in the White. He went from bastard love child to Alice's fellow Londoner.

After climbing his way up some stairs to the dock, he spotted them. Not that it was not hard to spot the crew: among the many dark heads of hair and dark eyes was Alice, with her blonde hair and light eyes. After speaking with her and Lord Ascot and feigning a history of sailing, he joined their crew and sailed with them back to London.

Everything was going according to plan. At this point he had become so consumed in gaining power that when he learned of his parents' death in exile he barely cared. Well, actually, he cared a little. It had been an accident, you see. He had, using the mirror, told one of his spies to kill the White Queen, take over the castle and build up a good hierarchy or government. It was a high ambition, seeing as he wasn't there to help, but he wanted a smooth return to Wonderland. So the spy followed the White Queen as she rode horseback to visit her sister in exile, getting ready to throw the sword from a distance (from a tree, really) straight through her spine at the opportune moment. Sword sniping: Very difficult, but very effective.

Unfortunately, the spy missed her and hit the Red Queen and Stayne instead. Idiot. In his book, it was a minor miscalculation that led to more power for him when he took Wonderland back. He would miss his father, but imagine the power of running Wonderland alone! He still had the assassin (who couldn't assassinate very well) killed, of course. Vengeance for his parents and all of that. He decided not to issue such demanding orders until he arrived back in Wonderland after that. Meanwhile, him and Alice grew closer, even romantic, and before he knew it they were scheduled to be in London in less than a day. So he pulled out his trusty mirror once again and told his awaiting followers it was time. He would be back with Alice within a number of days. He told two of his eldest followers to climb up the rabbit hole and meet them at the docks of London, acting as his parents. The prison guards were now also meant to create false crimes and blame them on those that had helped Alice exile his mother and father. Get them in prison. Bug the area. Everyone who took Wonderland from him would pay. It was time, he told them, to take Wonderland back from the White Queen. Unfortunately, unable to accuse the White Queen of doing anything remotely evil, the guards simply took her by force late at night when no one was around. Not that she could be violent, so it actually turned out to be a very smooth capture. She was locked up in the highest security cell by the time her loyal followers realized she was missing. He almost danced when he received word that she had been taken. He decided he could not wait for dinner the next night to take Alice to the Rabbit Hole. He came for breakfast.

But then, the Hatter showed up. He had noticed him shortly before his feigned parents returned to Wonderland via the hole again. They had taken the potion and the cake and forgot to leave it in the small room, instead just littering them just outside the small door. Now he had to be careful. His original plan to get Alice on her own and take her to the Rabbit Hole failed, and aggravatingly enough, with the Hatter came other Wonderland creatures. His little band of followers weren't doing very well without him to watch over them. Creatures were realizing someone was targeting them, and one annoying little dormouse had it all figured out. She had come up from Wonderland and tried to fight him. As a result, he had stepped on her tiny body and thrown it out the window. The Hatter kept showing up and people kept trying to convince him he was crazy. He almost choked on air when Alice introduced the Hatter to him as 'Tarrant,' fearing the Hatter may recognize him in some way. But he didn't. He tried to kill him on many occasions, but the damned mad man was out of sight before he even had the chance to pull the trigger of his pistol! So he followed them when they claimed to be going to the docks, and was delighted to see that the Hatter was doing his work for him: He was bringing her back to Wonderland himself.

Or so he thought.

He watched as Alice turned to walk away from the Rabbit Hole, and for lack of any better ideas he shot her into the hole before using his mirror to return to Wonderland. He arrived at the prison, entered the White Rabbit's cell and chopped off his paw, stealing his pocket watch in the process. He told the eagle guards to keep tabs on him and stage an attack when he was alone with Alice, and take her to prison – but make it look as though he were being arrested, too. Then, after checking the radar system that worked in correlation with all the bugs planted in Wonderland, he ran to Alice's location with the Hatter and played the innocent card. He provoked Hatter and slipped the paw into his pocket during their fight, milking Alice's devastated reaction. After a very dramatic scene which ended with Alice running away, he spotted a spy just behind the Hatter and grinned at him. The spy shot a dart straight into the back of the Hatter's neck, and he almost instantly collapsed.

Now Alice and "Tarrant" were his. The White Queen, too, would be dealt with soon.

Albert Hannigan was very close to ruling all of Wonderland, Alice-free.

* * *

"She'll never come."

"Oh, be quiet."

"She won't."

"You don't know that."

"She won't."

"Will."

"Won't."

"Will."

"Won't."

"Will."

The Hatter and the Cat were arguing lightly back and forth, and the Rabbit rolled his eyes, sighing.

"You two are oddly chipper. Playful banter while in a prison while shackled to a brick cement wall." The Cat and Hatter glanced at the Rabbit.

"When in good company," the Hatter said with a grin. But it faltered when he noticed the distant expression on the Rabbit's furry face. His right front paw was missing, and was now a stump wrapped clumsily in a bloody cloth.

"I have your paw, you know," the Hatter said, noticing the Rabbit's disinterest in their conversation. He patted his pockets down until he found the right one. Once he did, he pulled it out and handed it to him, and the Rabbit blinked a few times. Chessur's head appeared beside him.

"…Hatter, the poor thing just had his paw cut off. You really think he wants to see it?"

"Oh," said the Hatter, as though he hadn't considered it. "Sorry." He put it back in his pocket, and the White Rabbit sent him an odd look.

"Why are you keeping that?"

The Hatter just grinned and patted his pocket.

"Lucky rabbit's foot!"

The Cheshire Cat shook his head, repulsed.

"Oh. How very disgusting. Now- let's get back to the topic of escape, shall we? We only have a little bit of time before the guards make their rounds again."

"Alice won't leave with us," the Hatter said for, what felt like to the Cat, the millionth time.

"She _will._"

"How do you know?"

"Because you've been unconscious for an entire _day._ I didn't just sit here waiting for you to wake up. When Alice arrived, I told her everything: that the White Rabbit's not dead, that you had nothing to do with it – that the White Rabbit was _here_, in _prison_, when she accused you of killing him. She knows you're innocent, and she feels terrible. As she should. Foolish girl."

"I can _hear_ you," Alice said from her cell. Her tone sounded annoyed, and she finally looked up at them. The scraping of metal against concrete signaled she was trying to move in her shackles. The Hatter broke into a smile. He walked as far towards her cell as he could without being pulled by the shackles.

"So… so you're not mad at me anymore, Alice?" Alice looked away.

"No, Hatter. I was wrong. Chessur here, like he said, told me everything." The Hatter frowned. There was something wrong.

"Alice… are you crying?"

"Of course she's crying," said the Cat. "Her betrothed is the tyrannical bloke who's responsible for everything going wrong in Wonderland. I don't think he counted on the White Rabbit escaping with me and telling her about how this Albert fellow cut off his paw."

The Hatter blinked.

"But I thought you said they took Albert in, too? That he was in a separate wing? That they ran from the eagle guards and everything?"

"He _is _in a separate wing, and he _did _run from the eagle guards," said the Cat, as though he didn't understand what the Hatter was getting at. "He faked it all to make himself seem innocent to Alice. That went down the drain, what with Rabbit here exposing his plan. Not that he knows that yet." He chuckled and the White Rabbit managed to smile.

The Hatter's eyes widened, and suddenly he could think of nothing he wanted to do more than hold Alice in his arms again. He hated it when she cried. She rarely ever cried. She was _the_ Alice! The Alice that had slayed the Jabberwocky. Wonderland champions weren't supposed to cry. He'd had his suspicions about Albert, especially after what he had heard outside of the door, but in his desire to see Alice happy he didn't want to tell her, hoping he was wrong. He struggled against the shackles, and the Cat vanished. Within a few seconds, the Hatter's locks dislodged and he was released from the wall. The door to the cell unlocked as well, opening seemingly out of nowhere. The same thing happened with Alice and her own jail cell before the Cat reappeared beside the White Rabbit. The Hatter ran to Alice at full speed, then suddenly stopped--

"Is it okay if I hug you?"

Alice nodded and they met in a tight embrace. Alice was shaking; everything around her was falling apart. Albert wasn't who she thought he was, she was in jail in Wonderland, and she had, irrationally, accused one of her closest friends of murder without evidentiary support. She didn't feel like herself anymore. She didn't feel like the same headstrong Alice from two and a half years ago. The Hatter kissed her forehead, cautiously, causing Alice's grip on him to tighten. The two looked as though if they were to let go of each other, they would break into tiny pieces.

"Aw," said the Rabbit, pink nose twitching a little.

"Quiet, fool," the Cat whispered. "He doesn't know he's in love with her yet." They watched as the Hatter brushed the hair out of Alice's tear-stricken face.

"Well," the Rabbit said, "The Hatter would be a much better choice for her than Albert anyway."

"Well, of course," said the Cat to the Rabbit. "Albert's evil, and you'd never expect it, would you, coming from him. Albert's such a boring name."

"It will all be okay, Alice," the Hatter said. Alice nodded, wiping the tears.

"I know, Hatter. But how will we get out of here?"

"Don't forget Alice," the Hatter reminded her gently, "We have a cat that can disappear and re-appear. Remember before? I was about to have my head cut off – nasty situation, that – and he helped me. He could sneak us out of here, just like he did last time." He nodded as if they were discussing a place and not an escape plan.

"Don't forget that I want your hat," the Cat added, and the Hatter looked back to Alice.

"Where would we go, though? If we were to sneak out?" Alice asked, and the Cat grinned.

"Back to London would be a safe bet, hmm?"

* * *

They escaped the prison fairly easily, to Alice's surprise. With the help of the Cheshire Cat they floated past the guards and back out into Wonderland. They traveled quite a ways before Chessur allowed them to reappear, and Alice looked back to him. They were in a dark forest she hadn't seen before, and she felt nervous not being able to see beyond a few trees.

"But what about the bugs? Won't they find us again?"

"Oh, that. Well, I broke their radar system just before they brought you in, Alice, so they can't find us. At least not until they fix it. I'm not so sure how long it will take for them to repair everything, but I bought us some time."

"You did?" asked Alice, wide-eyed. "How?"

"You ask too many questions, you know," the Cat sighed. "It is easy to break things when you can be invisible, is it not?"

He would never understand what the Hatter saw in her. She just didn't understand how things worked around Wonderland.

"Half the doors to Wonderland have been broken or destroyed in some way," the Cat said. Albert's guards had destroyed those doors while they were staging the attack and carrying Alice to prison: the small one the White Rabbit usually used and the one in the tree by the tea table.

"We know the northern door and the eastern door have been broken. Rabbit, see if the Southern door is still usable, and I'll check the Western door. If they're both inaccessible we will have to find another way to London. Hatter – stay in hiding with Alice. We'll find you, but make sure the guards don't."

The Hatter nodded and the two animals departed. Alice watched with a sad sort of look as the Rabbit limped away, still managing to go quite fast considering the circumstance of only having three legs. They disappeared from view quickly, and Alice found herself sitting down on a mossy log, contemplating everything that had happened. The Hatter joined her, though his thoughts were not as focused. He looked from tree to tree, rock to rock, and after growing bored with their surroundings he started humming the Futterwack music in his mind. _How nice it would be to Futterwack for Alice once again, _he thought. A long time passed in silence. Eventually the Hatter wrapped an arm around Alice, and she rested her head on his shoulders. They listened for any kind of sound, any footsteps, any caws of birds, but nothing came.

"I'm sorry," Alice said after a while.

"It's okay, Alice," the Hatter said cheerfully. "You know that I'm innocent now. That's all that matters."

"No," said Alice. "Not just for that. For everything. For Albert, for hiding you, for disguising you in London… For- for leaving you behind Frabjous Day." The Hatter tensed slightly, the memory of watching her leave him flashing through his mind. He almost winced as he remembered the pain in his chest.

"After slaying the Jabberwocky," Alice continued softly. "After you saved me. I just… I don't understand how you can be here right now after everything I've done."

The Hatter blinked a few times, looking down at her.

"It's okay, Alice. It's all right. I'm not mad."

"But you _should_ be!" Alice stood from the log and started pacing back and forth in the dirt. "Tell me I've been terrible, that I've been selfish and inconsiderate! I've done nothing but string you along when all you want me to do is come back to Wonderland. And stupidly I say no because I'm scared to leave London, when truth is, all I can think about when I'm in London is being _back_ in Wonderland, with you! And I-"

"With me, Alice?" the Hatter asked. Alice stopped ranting, looking down at Hatter and the – was it hopeful? – look on his face.

"Yes," she said softly, sitting down again beside him. "With you." She reached a hand out to touch his cheek, a gesture he missed. He obediently pressed his cheek against the soft skin of her palm, closing his eyes. Alice smiled, remembering all of the times that the Hatter had helped her, back then and now. She remembered the fight and that more violent side of him that she had witnessed, quite contrary to the gentle, almost childlike Hatter she was used to. He was a man, and he was lonely in Wonderland. Just like she had been lonely in London, even with Albert there. Even lonelier knowing that her fiancé – ex-fiancé – was out of the picture. She had worked so hard to keep herself emotionally distant from the Hatter because she was engaged. How scandalous she felt, feeling attracted to the Hatter when- when-

_Wait a minute._

Something clicked. She glanced at the Hatter as if she'd never seen him before. He returned the glance but with an innocent smile. Alice had never really noticed it before, not even during their moment beneath the tree before Albert found them. She had been blinded by the fact that her status was that of a soon-to-be-married woman she didn't even realize how much she wanted to- to-

"I have a question for you, Tarrant," Alice said, very softly.

"Hmm?" He opened his eyes at her foreign use of his real name, only to find that their faces were close again. He gulped. Alice was looking straight into his eyes, something he wasn't familiar with. People usually avoided looking at him, due to the peculiar colour of his skin and his irises. He felt his heart stop in his chest before starting up again at a rapid rate. Alice moved even closer, so that again, their lips were almost touching. Time to bite the bullet and find out if the Hatter felt the same way.

"What is it like to kiss a Hatter on the lips?"

The Hatter watched as Alice moved closer, and he could barely believe what happened next.

She actually _kissed_ him.

Their eyes closed. Alice felt him tense, and she brought her other hand to his cheek, pulling him closer to her. It took a moment, but as soon as the Hatter was able to comprehend what was happening, she felt his arms wrap tightly around her. He returned the kiss with a sudden desperation, fingers slipping into her hair; it was as if he too just realized how badly he wanted to kiss her. Now, he knew, was not the time for thinking. All he knew was that whatever was happening, he _liked_ it. His heart hurt, but in a wonderful way, as though it were leaping with joy instead of sinking to the bottommost cavern of his stomach.

The Hatter pulled Alice onto his lap, and she pressed him against the trunk of the tree just behind him. Alice broke apart for air, and the Hatter was frightened, for a split moment, that she was pulling away. His hold around her tightened somewhat, and she laughed before bringing her lips to his again, trying to calm him down and assure him she wasn't going to be leaving.

"Ahem."

They sprung apart as though someone had shocked them, Alice quickly skittering off of the Hatter's lap. Her face was blotched with a pink blush, as was the Hatter's. It clashed terribly with his hair. But she noticed something out of the corner of her eye, and glanced at him. His eyes were a pale lavender colour. She'd never seen that colour on him before.

"Sorry to interrupt – but we have some news."

* * *

**A/N:** I moved my fanfic to the Alice in Wonderland 2010 category where it belongs. R&R for the next chapter! I'm very worried about how people will like this chapter, so please let me know what you thought. All reviews are greatly appreciated!


	9. Wedding Rings and Pointed Things

Up From Wonderland

Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: I was really scared the last chapter wouldn't be well-received, so I want to thank you all for the positive responses. It is great to know that you are all enjoying the fic so far; I've been trying my best to keep everyone in character but having seen the movie opening day I don't remember a whole lot anymore. Sorry for the random casual words like 'mom' - I read over my fanfics a billion times before posting them and I still miss stuff like that. I don't intend to - I usually use the Ctrl + F search to find words like that and replace them. So for whatever little errors you find, I'm sorry! I wish I was a better editor. xD

I hope I answered all of your questions in the last chapter and that none of you are overly confused anymore. =) I had to post this chapter earlier than usual because I am crossing the border and heading to Seattle to see a broadway play today. Have to be at the border by 8 in the morning and I didn't want to keep you all waiting. Enjoy! This chapter is a little fluffier than the previous ones, but there will be plenty of action in the next chapter.

**zx-ChiCho-xz: **Haha, I'm used to the Alice with blonde hair and blue eyes (despite the fact that in the book she has brown hair and I think green eyes) that I couldn't remember her eye colour from the movie. I haven't seen the movie since the fifth of March, so excuse my lapse in memory. And that's so weird! I must have terrible hearing, because I never heard them say Underland – I must have thought they said Wonderland throughout the entire movie! Thank you for letting me know – I'm so oblivious to some things. xD I think I might keep referring to it as Wonderland though, to maintain consistency in the fanfic. What do you think?

**KatPat: **Well, that would be telling you what happens in the story, wouldn't it, if I answered your question? Haha. But I will let you know that I am still hovering back and forth between my decision for the White Rabbit. All we can do is hope that the fanfic is kind to the White Rabbit in the end… ;)

**HJ Noxera: **Albert _does_ have a name unique to Wonderland, however, because I've introduced his character as Albert Hannigan, I've just kept calling him that so everyone knows who I'm talking about. You're actually getting ahead of me; his real name was meant to be revealed in this chapter xD As for what type of mother the Red Queen might be, I imagine she spoiled him. Very favorable of her son but didn't show it in public. Unfortunately her temper gets the better of her (like we saw in the movie, when she called Stayne an idiot when introducing him to 'Um'), so I can imagine that any warm-fuzzies may have been cancelled out by the moments she was yelling or being her usual obnoxious self.

**Sakura Katana**: I was never very good at history. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 9: Wedding Rings and Pointed Things

"Having fun?"

The Hatter found himself looking into the Cat's wide grin.

"As I matter of fact, I am," said the Hatter pleasantly. "Thank you, Chess, how terribly polite of you to ask."

"It's about time, too. It only took, oh, perhaps half of a life time for you both to realize your feelings for each other?"

"Come come now, you said you had some news," said the Hatter hastily, clapping his hands together. "What might that be?"

"It seems that the Southern Door is being guarded," said the Rabbit, happily moving away from the awkward subject of walking in on the Hatter and Alice kissing. "Much too dangerous to try and sneak past those eagle guards. It seems we have no choice: we must make our way to the Western Door. It's not under watch, but it is terribly inconvenient."

"Inconvenient?" asked Alice. "How can a door be inconvenient?"

"Well you see, Alice," said the Hatter, "a door can be inconvenient simply by being locked or broken when it needs to be opened. The Western Door, however, has no key, and is locked twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes every day."

"It's open for fifteen minutes every day?"

"Yes, and the fifteen minutes in which it is unlocked changes every day."

"How do you know when the door is open, then?"

"When the statue of the fairy points to it," said the Cat. "The statue of the fairy is constantly rotating, very inconsistently, perhaps a quarter of a centimeter one minute, perhaps an inch the next. Many don't notice it is even moving unless they pass it and return hours later, only to find it is pointing in an entirely different direction."

"So," continued the Rabbit, "We must travel to that statue, and camp out nearby. We will all take turns watching the statue. It is exactly a ten-minute walk from the statue to the door, so as soon as we see the statue is pointing in that direction, we must run. It is our only chance. I would not be surprised if Albert has figured out that we are missing, so we do not have much time. We must set foot tonight."

And so they did. It was quite a walk from the forest, and Alice had no idea how the Cat had managed to make it to that door and back so quickly. She decided it was best not to ask; every time she asked him a question he treated her as though she were slow. She'd like to see him try and handle it up in London, where the flowers didn't talk and the animals didn't wear clothing. He would probably be just as lost as she was here. The Rabbit and the Cat remained at the front of the group, leading the way to the fairy statue. Alice and the Hatter remained behind them, and occasionally one would smile knowingly at the other. Alice had never had butterflies in her stomach before, not even with Albert. It had been more of a comfortable, safe feeling with him – which was ironic, seeing as he apparently wanted her dead. Feeling this way about someone, especially the Hatter, was something else altogether.

What Alice liked best was that he wasn't skittish. He didn't act like a child and giggle or look away whenever their hands brushed. In fact, the Hatter walked calmly beside her as though nothing had changed between them. Unfortunately, neither of them could manage to sum up the courage to ask the one question that was occupying both of their minds: What would happen when Alice returned to London?

"I know you lovebirds are positively soaking in your new, vomit-inducing feelings, but could you at least _attempt_ to keep up? We are limited by time and being pursued by an evil mastermind with a name that sounds like it belonged to the runt of the pack."

Alice and the Hatter looked up at the Cat's comment, realizing only then how far behind they were. They ran to catch up. Eventually, some hours later, they reached the statue of the fairy. It was not what Alice expected, though: the statue of the fairy was not attractive. The fairy was not soft in figure, nor dainty, nor did she wear a tutu. She was positively skeletal, with wings growing out of her shoulder blades; her expression was nothing short of malicious. It was not a marvelous statue on display in the center of a clearing, either. It was hidden between the trees of the forest, and was hard to notice unless being searched for.

"I'll keep watch first," said the Cat. "If someone walks by, at least I won't be seen. Closer to the clearing, there is some soft grass to sleep on. Go - I will alert you if the statue points to the door. When I grow bored I shall come back and fetch someone else to watch this hideous statue."

The three remaining of the group nodded and headed off in the direction of the clearing. It was a five-minute walk before they reached the grass that the Cat had been talking about. It slowly went from dirt, to scattered bits of grass, to full, soft, green grass that led out to the even grassier clearing. Of course, to avoid being seen, they stayed in the shaded part of the forest where there was still enough grass to sleep on. The Rabbit dug a small, temporary burrow with his one good front paw and after bidding goodnight, hopped inside it. He seemed in a hurry to leave them be, not that Alice minded. The sky was dark at that point, and she settled by the roots of a tree, laying herself down on the grass. She was immediately reminded of when she was last in Wonderland, sleeping on the same kind of grass beneath the Hatter's large top hat.

"You're very pretty, sitting there like that," said the Hatter, walking up to her. Alice smiled as she sat up again.

"And you're not yourself without that hat," she said, nodding to his top hat. "Please tell me you didn't actually agree to give it to Chess in exchange for helping us escape."

"He loves this hat," he said, taking a seat beside her. "But not as much as I do. He may only have it, I told him, when I am dead. And he is lucky that I gave him that. I was quite insulted when he asked if I would bequeath it to him on my would-be execution day."

"He will never have it, then. You won't be dying, not under my watch."

"No?"

They sat there in silence for a while, the Hatter twiddling his thumbs. They were comfortable in silence, something else that Alice enjoyed. Albert could never stand silence, always prodding her about her thoughts, asking where she drifted off to whenever she began to daydream. But she had to stop comparing the two – Albert had never cared for her in the first place.

"May- May I ask," began the Hatter ever so boldly. "Why you kissed me?"

Alice laughed, and the Hatter watched her with a smile on his face. It was good to watch her laugh after seeing her cry.

"Because," she said. "I wanted to."

"Oh." The Hatter seemed rather satisfied with that answer.

"Did you want to kiss me?" she asked, and he looked a little sheepish before he replied.

"Very much so." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I missed you, when you left on Frabjous Day." Alice nodded, and after a moment, she hugged him. It was not a romantic hug, or even a friendly one. The aura of the embrace was that of guilt and apology. Alice remembered that day so clearly: the way that the Hatter's face had evaporated from a hopeful expression to a crestfallen one. How readily he had accepted her answer, despite his strong desire to see her stay. When she pulled back, she made sure he was looking at her before she replied.

"I missed you, too, Hatter." Almost every day. The Hatter smiled, fidgeting somewhat with his fingers. Alice noticed something as he fidgeted: on the Hatter's left index finger was a ring. It seemed to made of steel or silver, and the length ran from the base of his finger to the knuckle. The metal crept up his finger in a design similar to a spider-web, with four small pearls along the center. They looked like the tiny water droplets on a web after rain.

"That's a beautiful ring," she said, and the Hatter glanced at it.

"Oh, yes. It was my father's, you know. His wedding ring. My mother's matched it exactly, except with diamonds instead of pearls running along the center."

"You have those kinds of precious gems here in Wonderland?"

"No," the Hatter chuckled. "No, but my father visited London once. Just once, to have these rings made before he proposed to my mother. …I actually think he stole an impressive amount of London currency from someone in order to have it made."

"Do you have your mother's ring still?" The Hatter reached beneath his shirt and pulled out a thin rope necklace, on the end of which hung a ring, identical to the one the Hatter wore, but with the diamonds. It was smaller in size of course, but aside from that they were the same.

"I got the idea from you, you know," he said. "When you wore Albert's ring around your neck, I thought I could do the same with my mother's. Safer than keeping it in a pocket. It won't fit on my fingers. I hope you don't mind that I used some of the rope I found in that garden shed." The Hatter was running his fingertips over his mother's ring, and Alice placed a hand over his, gently guiding him to slide the necklace back beneath his shirt.

"They would have liked you, you know," he said quietly, glancing at Alice. "Now that you've regained your muchness."

"My father would have _loved_ you," Alice said with a small laugh, moving closer to him. "He always had the most interesting things to say, just like you."

The Hatter smiled, noticing their faces were close again. Their lips met, softly at first, as though testing the waters. Soon, though, the Hatter felt Alice's hand on his cheek, the other gently raking through his hair. She was letting him know that it was okay, that he didn't have to be so careful. So he wrapped his arms around her, that sensation of pure joy once again spreading through his heart. He deepened the kiss, feeling Alice press herself closely against him. Fabric to fabric, skin to skin. Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground beside her, then pulling away minutes later due to the less than innocent thoughts that were creeping their way into his mind.

"Your eyes," Alice said suddenly, smiling. The Hatter glanced at her. He could never see what the others did, and so rarely noticed when his eyes changed colour.

"Hmm?"

"What does purple mean?" she asked, reaching out to lightly touch the height of his cheekbone, right by his eye. The Hatter held his breath, his heart stopping for but a second.

"They're lavender? Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes… A pale lavender. They're quite nice, actually."

"Ah, well. Then, that would mean…" the Hatter trailed off quietly, and Alice watched him closely. He didn't answer her question, though, and instead sat up again, kissing her forehead.

"It is late, Alice. Best for you to get your sleep."

He stood from the grass. Alice watched him, wrapping her arms around her knees, which were drawn to her chest.

"Where will you sleep, Hatter?"

"That rock over there looks comfortable," he said, pointing to a boulder with jagged-looking edges. Alice laughed softly, and she reached up, tugging on his shirt and pulling him down towards her. He bent forward obediently at the pull and she gave him another soft kiss on the lips. He was smiling when she pulled away.

"Sweet dreams, Hatter."

"Sweet dreams."

The Hatter walked over to the boulder and lied down on the grass by its base. Alice was a few trees down, settled in again and using her hands as a pillow. Her body was tucked into a neat little ball; he smiled as he watched her. Within a few minutes her eyes fluttered slowly closed as she drifted to sleep, and after some debate he walked quietly back over to her. After ensuring that she was no longer awake, he slid off his coat and laid it over her form. She didn't move much, only subconsciously pulling the material higher over herself to capture more warmth.

"It means love, Alice," he whispered to her. "The lavender."

* * *

Many things happen for a reason. Sometimes it is a reason that falls in your favour and sometimes it is not. Tonight, Lady Luck was not with the Hatter, the Rabbit, or the Cat. The statue did not point to the door as soon as the Cheshire Cat would have liked. In fact, it never had. One moment he was tapping his digits, bored, against the stone of the statue. The next he was rolling his eyes and looking up as the sun just peeked over the horizon. Perhaps it was better to stay here, at the statue overnight. Who knew what the two new lovebirds were doing in the forest?

"Chess!"

"Speak of the devil," he muttered to himself, making himself visible where he sat on the statue.

"Yes, Hatter, what is it?"

But the White Rabbit was following him, too. The Cat furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What had happened? After taking a closer look at them, he noticed the look on Tarrant's face was beyond panic. The White Rabbit looked just the same.

"_Chess! _It's Alice!"

Of course. Stupid girl attracted drama left and right.

"What happened?"

"She- she's gone!"

"_What?_"

* * *

_Aren't people supposed to have different dreams?_

Alice woke up, holding her head with a slight wince. She'd had that same dream again, with the Hatter in the spot light and the White Rabbit and Dormouse surrounding him. The figure too, had appeared, but with a slight modification: he had a sword now, instead of his fists. And instead of several punches, it was one swift stab.

"About time you woke up, _darling_. It's been almost five hours since you were brought in here. My apologies, my guards must have used too much – what was it you Londoners called it? Oh yes: Chloroform. I knew there was a reason I'd taken a bottle back from London. It comes in so useful for kidnappings. You struggled in your sleep, I heard, so they had to give you an extra dose."

Alice sat up on her forearms, groggily squinting at the figure in front of her. She was back in prison, that much was clear. She was behind bars, yet she was staring at someone she'd never seen before. He was tall, thin, and his hair was as dark as a raven's feathers. He was standing in the corner of her cell.

"Sorry?" she said, sitting up. "Do I know you?"

"Alice," said the man almost endearingly. "Oh Alice, you are so stupid."

Alice glared at him, though she couldn't pretend that she wasn't confused.

"You, my dear Alice, went on a trip to expand your father's company to China. You sailed back on a ship called _The Wonder. _Your sister, Margaret, is married to an oaf of a man named Lowell. And…" the man sighed, looking at his fingernails as though bored with their conversation.

"You have a friend named _Tarrant._"

Alice's eyes slowly widened.

"Where is the Hatter now, hmm?" he asked her with a smug grin on his face.

"Albert?" she said, almost cautiously. "You- you're not Albert."

"No," the man confessed with a sigh. "No, I am not Albert. Then again, there _is_ no Albert. Albert is not real. He is a figment of my imagination."

Alice swallowed. That sounded oddly familiar.

"_I_, my dear, am Lampang Tarungnu." He flashed her a grin that was extraordinarily like the Knave's. How could she forget such an expression when he had cornered her that one evening in the Red Queen's castle?

"Why am I here? Where are the others?"

"Wherever you are, Alice, the others will shortly follow." Alice watched as Lampang drew a sword from his sheath, that mad grin still present on his face. Alice recognized the sword immediately. It was the same sword from her dream. The blade shone against the moonlight poring through the window, and Alice nervously got to her feet, taking a step back.

"But why not just take them, too? Why only me?"

"Because, Alice," he said, pressing his finger very gently to the tip of his blade, to test its sharpness. "This is much more amusing. Let your little band of protectors come and try to save you. By the time they make it back here-" he held his sword at the ready and Alice pressed her back against the wall of her cell.

"It might just be too late."

* * *

**A/N: **So guys, zx-ChiCho-xz let me know that in the movie they referred to it as Underland – I'm so sorry, if I had noticed I would have used 'Underland' throughout my fanfic, but I guess I'm deaf and misinterpreted the word as 'Wonderland.' To maintain consistency throughout the fanfic I was thinking of continuing to refer to it as Wonderland, but what do all of you think I should do? Should I go back, correct every entry of Wonderland to Underland? Or just continue using Wonderland? I'm looking forward to your input in the reviews! :3


	10. An Alice Necklace

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: Okay, so one or two people suggested changing everything to Underland, but the others said to just leave it as is and remember for any future fanfics I may write. So I will leave it as Wonderland, but I'll put an author's note in the first chapter explaining why I don't refer to it as Underland, so that any future readers aren't confused.

**Chalcedony Rivers: **Don't be sorry. You're bringing things to my attention that I missed. It's a good thing. :)

**Heartsong's Fanfictions: **No, there is no backwards spelling or anything, but it does mean "A Great Power Has Come" in Dayak, according to the internet. And the internet can be very untrustworthy sometimes. But let's pretend that's what it actually means, in spite of the very high likeliness that the translation is wrong. :)

**Totally Lori**: First of all, congratulations to writing the absolute longest review I have ever received, and thank you for the high praise. :3 It means a lot to me. Yes, Chessur has inherited a bit of a more pessimistic side to him from time to time, but his character is so smug in verbal nature that I feel, once in a while, it comes across as slightly hostile. But that's just my interpretation – everyone's is different, and I hope it's not too annoying for you to read. The March Hare I have not mentioned, but he has been captured along with the "Fat Boys" and the White Queen. Don't worry, he will appear in the story, (in this chapter, very briefly) and I'll do my best to do justice to his character. If only I had the DVD for character study! I saw it once – on opening day, so my memory is very, very fuzzy. So I apologize to you for any out of character moments, but I am trying my best to keep them as in character as possible while still having the plot develop logically. Aughh! I may resort to a cam recording (I **hate** those) of the movie if I find I'm losing my grip on keeping everyone in character.

Good to know you enjoy my OC. Here's a little secret: He was originally supposed to only appear in the first and second chapter and never be heard of again until the last chapter. Clearly, I had some other plans for him. I never expected his character to develop this much, let alone be so important.

**draegon-fire: **Tarrant Hightopp is the actual name of the Hatter given in the movie for 2010. The Cheshire Cat called him that. You can look it up on Wikipedia, as well as all of the character's real names. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OCs.

* * *

Chapter 10: An Alice Necklace

Alice had experienced a lot of unusual things in her life. She'd had 'nightmares' in which she fell down a rabbit hole. She had been accused of being Alice and not being Alice. She had been told what not to do and what she must do. She even talked to flowers, animals, and managed, somehow, to fall in love with a Hatter in the process.

Yet she found _this_ weird.

"Are you saying you're planning to amuse yourself by watching people risk their lives to save me? That's the only reason you're not killing me at this very second?"

Lampang looked as though he were considering a proper response.

"Well, when you say it like that, you make me sound… mad."

"No," Alice said, looking away. "You're not mad." Only the best people were mad, and there was no chance that she was going to give him the honour of telling him he was.

"So what am I, then?"

"Evil."

Lampang sighed, running his fingertips along the length of the blade.

"Yes, I am that… Alice. Dear, naïve Alice." He took a step closer to her, reaching a hand out. She stepped back, but he quickly reached forward and yanked the thin golden chain from her neck, ripping off the ring he had given her back in London.

"You care for the Hatter, do you not?"

Alice said nothing, just watching Lampang suspiciously.

"It's hard not to notice, what with all the time you've spent with him in the past few days. The way you almost kissed him beneath that tree, when I found you…"

Alice remained silent. Lampang grinned, though it was not the same grin that the Cheshire Cat would send her. It was much more malicious.

"Well," he said. "Getting on with it, I plan to kill the Hatter the minute he steps into this prison to find you. And, based on past events, it is highly likely he will. He's been much too loyal to the White Queen, and much too loyal to you. He is more cunning than he lets on, and uses his insanity as a guise to hide whatever insane plan he has forming in his head. He is, in short, a threat to my plans to rule Wonderland."

Alice swallowed, but did not say anything. She remembered how the Hatter had turned all of the Red Queen's court against her in one persuasive speech; how he had whispered, 'Down with the Bloody Bighead' in order to form alliance. She knew Albert – Lampang – was right.

"I won't let you kill him," she said boldly, though in truth she had no idea how she would stop him. She was in a torn and bloody blue dress with absolutely no armor or objects to fight him with. All she knew was that she couldn't let the Hatter die.

"Oh, good!" said Lampang, chuckling. "You see, Alice, I want to play a little game. If you play along with me I may just spare the Hatter's life. If you don't," His light-hearted, mocking tone immediately darkened as he took a step towards Alice, towering over her. "I'll kill him in front of you."

Alice's heart was pounding, though she did not let it show on her face. She went over various scenarios in her head: what would happen, what might not happen, and what she could possibly do to turn things around – but suddenly a high-pitched beeping distracted her, and she watched as Lampang pulled a small device from his pocket.

"Ah. That would be them now." He walked out of Alice's cell, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her roughly along to the barred window. Sure enough, the Hatter and the White Rabbit were running into the prison, the Cheshire Cat nowhere to be seen. That beeper must have gone off as soon as they entered the property, to alert Lampang of their arrival. She felt a leap of joy. They would save her. Someone would have a plan up their sleeve and find a way to get them all out of this mess.

He turned her around to face the door that Hatter, maybe even the White Rabbit, would enter through. Holding the sword behind their backs, Lampang pressed Alice's side against his, digging the tip of the blade lightly into her back. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to show just how serious he was.

Alice's hands felt clammy. Her mouth went dry and she felt light-headed. In her position, the only way to save the Hatter was to play along. But what would that lead to? Would they be able to save her while she was so close to Lampang? She drew in a breath, preparing herself for whatever was about to happen. A ruckus soon arose outside the door. A few yells, a few thuds, and then—

Lampang _kissed_ her.

Alice almost pulled back and slapped him, but his tight grip on her and the sword against her back reminded her that she was supposed to play along. Barely a second after their lips met the Hatter shoved open the door, holding a pistol in his hand. He pointed it at Lampang.

"Get away from her!" Without even a glance Alice knew his eyes must be orange. He was yelling in that brogue, his breathing heavy. Lampang moved off of Alice and stuck to her side again, hiding the sword behind their backs and smirking at the Hatter. Clearly, he was enjoying this. Vengeance was sweet.

"I don't believe you have the right to order me not to kiss my own fiancée."

"Fiancée?" the Hatter repeated, accent thick, tone murderous. "She's not your fiancée."

"No? Oh, my sincerest apologies, Tarrant, you must not recognize me. I'm Albert. Out of disguise. So actually, that makes me Lampang. What terrible timing you have though, Tarrant, for such formal introductions. I _am_ busy-"

"I said _get away from her!_"

Lampang's eyes fell on the pistol as though he had just noticed it.

"Your pistol's not loaded." The Hatter paused, though his form did not falter.

"What?"

"Your pistol," Lampang said again. "It isn't loaded."

"How would you know?"

"It's mine. You stole it off the entrance guard, yes? Presumably after you rendered him unconscious and before you ransacked the place? I gave it to him for repairs. It's not launching bullets properly."

The Hatter kept the pistol pointed at Lampang. Lampang sheathed his sword and took one step towards him, then another. Once close enough, he snatched the gun out of the Hatter's hands and checked it.

"Not one bullet in here." He had a curious look on his face. After a few moments, he looked up to the bloodthirsty Hatter.

"Did you bluff your way past my guards with an _unloaded _gun?" His tone was pure disbelief; clearly he had thought the Hatter would get up here with a struggle – not by pointing an unloaded weapon at his followers. The Hatter said nothing.

Lampang threw the gun harshly to the ground.

"That was a risky move, Tarrant. But I'm afraid it won't help you. Alice here… she won't go with you."

"I think that's for Alice to decide," he said quietly, looking at her. She was not, he realized for the first time, looking at him.

"Hatter," Lampang laughed, regaining his spot by Alice's side. "Alice works for me. She brought you all here so I could kill you. You, that Cat, that damned three-legged Rabbit. And everyone else is here, too: all your friends, all because of Alice. She's been a great sport, _playing along_. Being the double spy." His fingers were resting dangerously on the hilt of his unequipped sword.

The Hatter's eyes became green again as he shook his head in incredulity.

"That's not true," he said with a small smile. He even dared to laugh. "Alice slayed the Jabberwocky. Alice is the Wonderland Champion. She restored the White Queen to her power – she doesn't work for you!" The Hatter looked at Alice, amusement in his eyes. He looked so certain, and Alice felt an odd rush of warmth to heart to realize how much confidence he had in her.

"Right, Alice?"

Alice opened her mouth to say something, to agree, but then she caught eye of Lampang, playing with the sword and ready to draw it at any moment. It was two on one, they could outnumber him, but in this room there were literally no other objects to use as weapons, except for possibly the unloaded gun. But a sharp sword was more likely to win.

"Go ahead," he said to her. "Tell Tarrant, Alice."

He actually wanted her to _say_ something! She looked Lampang in the eye, and his gaze was menacing. The Hatter, meanwhile, was just standing there waiting for Alice to prove Lampang wrong.

Alice drew in a breath and looked at the Hatter. She wore no expression on her face. _This will save him_, she reminded herself.

"I'm sorry, Hatter."

"What?" said the Hatter, confused. "Alice-"

"Guards!" called Lampang. "Take him away! Lock him up with all the others."

Alice averted her eyes again. She could actually feel her heart being torn into tiny pieces: the Hatter's expression had faded from one of amusement, to one of disbelief, to one of absolute devastation – to nothing. He simply stood there as the guards arrived and hand cuffed him. He looked like an empty vessel; a body without a soul. It was as though nothing he could do could possibly help him comprehend what had just happened. There was no plan, Alice realized. No great scheme to help them escape. The Hatter took one moment, one last moment before they escorted him out of the room, to look at Alice. Lampang had just slid the ring back onto her left ring finger.

Instead of seeing a look that may give him hope, a look that perhaps, would give him some recognition that she were lying, he saw Lampang step in front of her, blocking his view. He looked down at him, disgust written all over his expression.

"You actually thought she loved you, didn't you?"

He slammed the door in the Hatter's face.

* * *

He had been so sure.

He had been so sure she was lying. It was all supposed to be a practical joke to try and trick the Mad Hatter.

But it wasn't.

He looked down into his hands: he'd made it for her, too.

This necklace.

This necklace he was holding in his hands.

When he'd woken up to find her missing, he'd simply thought she had gone for a morning stroll. He took his jacket back off of the ground that morning.

It was a reversible jacket. It still is, come to think of it.

From it, the Hatter had made a very Alice-y necklace. He'd ripped a thin strip of fabric off the cuff and twisted it into the most intricate fabric chain, thin as string. Simple but complex. Quiet but bold.

Just like Alice.

Just like the dress he had snipped for Alice when she came out of the tea pot as tiny as the Dormouse.

But this? Oh, it was the most perfect Alice necklace. It complemented the yellow in her hair, the colours in her eyes. And at the end of the chain was a ring.

A most perfect ring.

A ring made of silver that would never tarnish; a ring that would creep from the base of her finger to just below the knuckle, with four diamonds lined along the center. Similar to the water drops on a spider's web after a rainstorm.

Imagine his surprise when, after making the most perfect and most beautiful Alice necklace, that she wasn't going to return. Imagine his surprise when he realized that she hadn't left of her own accord. That she was missing.

He was caressing it now.

The necklace.

He'd been so determined to save Alice from Albert – who wasn't really Albert – and give her the necklace. It would be a good and happy event, in which they would kiss and kiss until the sun went down and maybe she would even cry tears of joy over his splendid gift. Maybe he would Futterwhack even if it weren't Frabjous Day.

The necklace was like her, though.

Perhaps that's why he liked touching it.

The necklace.

The necklace which was like Alice, while Alice was not like the necklace. They were alike but not alike.

He hated that Alice was not like the necklace.

He would build a wall. Yes. Ten feet high. No, ten hundred feet high!

That would be a big wall. Then no one could talk to him and fool him again. For what a fool he was indeed, to think she might love him. Maybe if he were a hero, with a sword and some armour. Perhaps if he looked… not like a Hatter. Maybe then she would love him.

But she _didn't_ love him!

He would never trust Alice again. He would never trust anyone again.

The Hatter threw the Alice necklace against the cement wall of his cell with a loud yell. The ring hit the wall before falling to the ground with a clatter.

"Hatter!"

"Sorry. I- I'm fine."

Just like that, the madness left him. His eyes, which had flickered back and forth between green and orange for the past several minutes finally settled on a stable green as he walked over to the necklace and picked it up again. He pocketed it after making sure there were no scratches.

"Are you all right?"

"Are you not all right?"

"You asked my question."

"I asked my own question."

"Stop asking your own questions."

"Stop asking mine."

The Tweedles were in the cell next to the Hatter's. They had watched him pace back and forth, lost in his thoughts and his murmurs, only calling out to him when he threw an object randomly at the wall.

"Maybe the wall hurt him in some way."

"Maybe he hurt the wall, eh?"

"Boys," said a gentle voice.

Mirana, the White Queen, was in her own cell. She sent the boys a slightly reprimanding look, and once they apologized she offered a more gentle smile.

"Tarrant, McTwisp: it is good to see that you are both still alive."

"You too, your majesty," the Hatter said softly. The White Rabbit, in a tiny barred crate in the corner, nodded in agreement. But the Hatter was not looking at her. He was playing with the necklace again.

"What of Chessur? Where is he?"

"He can evaporate. They can't put him in prison," the Hatter answered automatically. It had been a very long time he had been in that cell. A long time indeed. Perhaps a good few hours. Everyone was there. Except Alice. But no one had talked to him, for when the March Hare cheered madly upon the Hatter's arrival and thrown a tea cup at him through the bars per their usual greeting, he'd yelled loudly in rage and thrown it back. They left him to his thoughts after that, the Hare shaking violently, only saying his name nervously to remind him when he was beginning to get out of hand.

They had been patient with the Hatter long enough. Now was time for some answers.

"What bothers you so, Tarrant?" asked Mirana kindly. The Hatter's gaze was focused on the necklace. He caressed the fabric chain.

"Alice."

Hyena-like laughter came from the March Hare's cell and he jumped up and down.

"Alice. Alice is here. She will save us all again!"

"Alice is a traitor," he said, interrupting the Hare's proclamations of Alice and his jumps for joy. No one said anything for a few seconds. But the Hatter could hear. He heard the footsteps coming closer and closer to his cell. It was one of the eagle guards.

"Tarrent Hightopp?" No response. "Hatter?"

"If you were ever to wonder who was the Hatter, if to you it truly mattered, then you would realize that I am the Hatter. But I am the Hatter that doesn't matter."

There was the sound of metal clanking as the eagle unlocked his cell door.

"Someone is to see you outside."

* * *

Alice swallowed as she stood outside the door to the Right Wing of the prison. She couldn't believe what she was doing there. No, she was not there to 'play along' with Lampang and hurt anyone. In fact, after the Hatter had been locked up she became very unresponsive. Lampang left her to herself in her cell for a few hours. Upon his return, he claimed to have noticed how sad she had been since the Hatter was locked up, so he had a new proposition: If Alice could convince the Hatter that she had in fact been lying, that Lampang was behind everything and had in fact made her play along, then he would take it one step farther. Not only would he spare the Hatter's life, he would release him from prison.

If she couldn't convince him, then she would die right then and there. No more games. She was beginning to think he was taking too much pleasure from their pain. He liked drama, she decided. They were all actors in his own little tragedy; pawns in his own chess match. He was playing with his food excessively before eating it.

"But the Hatter will be spared nonetheless?" she asked, and Lampang chuckled.

"Yes. The Hatter will be spared."

It was a crazy proposition. It was mad, insane, and terribly risky. She even had a feeling the only reason he was allowing it was because he felt the Hatter would never believe her. But she had to take the offer. If she didn't, he could be locked up in prison forever for his framed crimes. She had to at least try, and with his death not on the line she could do so guiltlessly. She was going to die apparently anyway, according to Lampang's plan, be it now or later, when he grew bored of the drama.

But it sounded illogically simple: Convince the Hatter, and he goes free. Fail, and you die. What did alternate plan was Lampang hiding? It was just… too simple.

It seemed an eternity before the door opened again, the guard leading the Hatter. Once the Hatter and Alice were standing beside each other, the eagle nodded.

"You have five minutes."

He joined Lampang at the other end of the hallway, where they could keep an eye on them without blatantly invading privacy.

Alice drew in a breath, but before she could even try to begin, the Hatter spoke first.

"Back again, Alice?" His tone was low and guarded. The happy, curious innocence he usually greeted her with was gone. It was replaced by an aura of pessimism and self-pity.

"Hatter, I- I'm here to explain everything. Lampang and I – we're not together. We're _not._ I never helped him capture you, I never worked for him. He just wanted me to play along in his own sick, twisted game." She sounded like a fool. She was terrible at this. It did in fact, end up sounding like she were the part of a dramatic play.

The Hatter said nothing.

"He said that if I didn't play along he'd have you killed, and I couldn't… I promised, remember? That I wouldn't let you die?"

Again, the Hatter said nothing.

"Hatter," she said softly. "Don't you believe me?"

"If you were ever to wonder who was the Hatter, if to you it truly mattered, then you would realize that I am the Hatter. But I am the Hatter that doesn't matter," he recited again.

"You matter to me," she said softly. He didn't reply. This, clearly, was not working. She could only think of one more thing:

Alice wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, hard.

But he didn't budge.

The Hatter did not tense nor respond. In fact, he stayed perfectly still and perfectly distant. Alice pulled away, looking up at him, worried.

"Hatter. I wouldn't lie to you."

"You already did."

His face was turned away from hers now. He didn't step back, instead waiting for Alice to do so. After a few seconds, she did. She unwrapped her arms from around him and stepped back, trying to think of something clever, something witty: a line that every story was supposed to have, in order to make him realize that she was telling the truth. But nothing came to mind.

"Time's up."

Alice's eyes closed in defeat. When she opened them again, the eagle guard was once again standing behind the Hatter, and two more guards were approaching Alice from behind.

"Take him to my office in the Upper Wing," Lampang ordered. Alice watched as the Eagle took Hatter's shoulders in his claws and flew out the window.

"Wait," she said. "Wait a minute. Where is he going? Why isn't he going back to his cell?"

Alice's heart started to beat twice as fast when the guards placed their hands on her shoulders. Before she realized what was happening, her wrists were bound behind her.

"You said you would spare him!"

"Ooh," sighed Lampang. "About that." He wiped the blade of his sword in a thick cloth, cleansing it of any blemishes.

"I lied."

* * *

**A/N: **So, how did you find it? Not too horrible, I hope. :S This chapter should have given you a little insight as to how corrupted Lampang is at this point, if you didn't realize the extent of his corruption. People have been asking me why I end most chapters in cliff-hangers. I do that with fanfics because I only upload one chapter at a time, so it gives the readers something to look forward to in the next upload. I hope it doesn't annoy you too much!


	11. Game Over

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: Over three hundred reviews and two thousand story subscribers! I can't believe it. You guys are bloody amazing. I really appreciate that none of the reviews have been baseless flames, but either praise or constructive criticism. You're a great crowd, and I couldn't be happier with your responses and input. =)

But now let me apologize for having this chapter up later than usual. Usually, after I get off work at 9PM (PST), I stay up and write the chapter, then final proof it in the morning before posting. But Monday night I noticed after spending a few hours writing that my output was absolutely terrible. Very uninteresting and I did not want to post it. I hit a writer's block and knew that if I kept writing the crap that I had been, no one would be happy with the chapter. So I stopped, went to class on Tuesday, followed by the Canucks game (Not hugely into hockey but I won free box seat tickets… too bad we lost!). I apologize for the lateness again, but here is Chapter 11 for you!

**Totally Lori**: I promise you Chessur will redeem himself. And you are correct, the last chapter was more of an Alice/Hatter/Lampang chapter, which was why the other characters' appearances were so minor. In regards to Lampang and how he came to be, that will be explained in the author's notes of the very last chapter of the fanfic. ;)

**Anneka Neko**: Okay, I just _had _to say this: LOL!

**Sakura Katana**: Well, in Wonderland, anything is possible. …But putting that lame excuse aside I initially never really realized the time difference (I'm stupid that way), but I had already written about radars, etc. with the Cheshire Cat and continued to go with it to keep it consistent. Alice doesn't know what the machine is per se, but in the last chapter Lampang announced their arrival right after the beeping, so she could deduce that it was that machine that had alerted him of their intrusion.

**silentlysnowing**: I will keep that in mind – thank you for mentioning it and I will try to make it better in the next few chapters!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's.

* * *

Chapter 11: Game Over

The Hatter was not happy.

He brushed the dirt off of his suit once the guard released him, taking a seat in the offered chair.

"Sit here. Prince Lampang will be here in but a moment."

He did not watch as the guard walked away, shutting and locking the door behind him. Instead the Hatter simply sat, contemplating everything that had just happened. It had taken every ounce of strength not to return Alice's heavy kiss, not to say something and argue with her as she tried to explain. He had wanted to – by God, how he had wanted to. The moment he had been taken away he wondered if he'd done the right thing. But how could he believe Alice was telling the truth? To tell him that she was working for him, only to come back and tell him that she was not, while in the presence of Lampang and his guard? No. How could he trust her?

But how could he not?

Sure, she had managed to crush his heart in a matter of words. But she was still Alice. The Alice that he had saved and helped with restoring power to the White Queen. The Alice that he had gone up to London for. The Alice he had kissed.

He pulled the necklace out of his pocket again, untangling the fabric chain and stroking the ring with his finger. No, Lampang was right. It had been foolish of him to think that Alice had cared for him, let alone loved him. The Hatter didn't even know what love _was_, really.

No… he didn't know _what_ love was. But he knew what love _felt _like.

The Hatter's eyes closed when he heard the door open.

"Terribly sorry to keep you waiting. I had to tend to Alice, first. She and I had a deal, you see."

The Hatter stayed silent, though his eyes followed Lampang's figure. He was wiping off his sword, and for a brief second the Hatter could have sworn he saw red on the cloth before it was placed in his pocket.

"But I digress. Here we are. I wanted to commend you for brushing Alice off so coldly. Good show."

Lampang took a seat in front of the Hatter, on the edge of his desk. His air was casual, tone almost friendly. But the Hatter knew better.

"What would you do if I told you that she really _wasn't _lying?"

The Hatter blinked a few times before sitting up straighter in his chair.

"So sorry, I just hallucinated; what did you say?"

Lampang laughed, drumming his fingers on the desk.

"If I told you she wasn't lying, that you completely shunned her, and it was too late to do anything about it, what would you say?"

"It's never too late for anything," he replied.

"Well, it is if whomever you want to make peace with is dead."

He felt his heart stop.

His fingers grew oddly cold, palms clammy. When he swallowed he was met with nothing but air making its way down his esophagus. By the time he managed to recompose himself, he realized his breathing had gotten rather heavy. _Calm yourself_, he thought. _If Alice can lie, so can he._

"Dead?" he finally managed to choke out. Lampang nodded.

"Mm. I told her that if she could manage to convince you that she had been lying, if she could prove you trusted her beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would release you from prison and spare your life. If she couldn't, well, it would be her life for yours."

The Hatter leapt at Lampang from his seat with a snarl, but Lampang dodged the attack and unsheathed his sword, holding it out in front of himself as defense.

"Ah, ah, ah," he scolded lightly, a smug sort of smile on his face. The Hatter stared at the sharp blade, his eyes finding the tip. Not completely wiped off, there was a red smudge: blood. The Hatter's eyes flashed a dangerous shade of orange. Lampang smirked.

"Wonderland will look _so_ much better without you, Tarrant."

* * *

"Hey! Let me out!"

Alice groaned as she shook the bars of her cell. They didn't even wobble. Lampang had separated her from everyone else, and she was locked in a cell entirely on her own. Why was she the only isolated one? She could feel a sense of extreme hopelessness overcome her, and she found herself circling her cell like a dog, wondering what to do next. Her heart was pounding and she felt shaky. All she could think about was Lampang, the scoundrel, and how he had tricked her. What was wrong with him, anyway? With the aid of a couple of guards he brought Alice back into her cell and slashed her right arm with the sword. For a split second she thought he was going to kill her right there, and stay true to his word, but he simply told her he would be back, and that it would be much more amusing to kill her with the same sword that felled the Hatter. So why had he slashed her arm, she wondered? But Lampang had answered her unasked question himself: "It will be even more amusing if the Hatter thinks you're dead before I kill him."

Drama queen.

Alice scoffed. As dramatic as he was, Alice had a feeling he was getting more and more serious. He would have to stop playing his games soon, if he wanted to rule Wonderland without interruption. His threats were true, and their deaths were close. Behind bars, unfortunately, there was not much she could do. She slammed at the bars for a while, and cried out for help, but soon gave up. She knew that wasn't going to get her anywhere. After careful inspection of her cell, she saw no flaw in the bars, no soft spot for escape. No items to be used to try and break out, either. So she found herself sitting there for a nerve-wracking twenty minutes before someone appeared just outside her cell.

Alice jumped to her feet and ran to the bars.

"Chess! What took you so long?"

"I had to find the key," he said as he floated to the lock on her cell. "It would be much too tedious to find all the separate keys for all the separate cells in this place, so I found the master key." Alice watched as the Cat pulled the key off of the collar on his neck.

"How did you manage to snatch it?"

"Really, Alice, you must learn to ask less questions," he scolded with a grin. Nonetheless he went on in his smug drawl.

"They keep it in a safe with some other items. I saw it when one of the guards opened it to grab some sort of file, and was able to grab it before they shut the safe." There was a click as he unlocked her cell. He caught sight of the slash on her arm, floating closer to her.  
"Rip the hem of your dress. I need a cloth." Alice obeyed, handing him the strip she had ripped off. It was mildly dirty, but it would have to do. The Cat bound her arm tightly in the fabric, and Alice offered him a grateful smile.  
"Thanks."

"Are you coming?" asked the Cat as though he had done nothing, already floating away.

"No," Alice said, running out of her cell. "Lampang – Albert – he's got the Hatter. I've got to-"

"Go," said Chessur. "I'll fetch the others, and we'll be up at his office to back you up as soon as we're ready. Shouldn't be too difficult – I already know where their cells are located." Alice nodded and ran a few steps before looking back to the Cat floating smugly along.

"But what about the guards?" Alice asked. The Cat sighed and did a small barrel roll in the air before facing Alice.

"Did I not just tell you to ask less questions?" He fluffed his tail. "Have a little faith. After taking the master key I locked all those guards in that security room. I even broke the lock so that they couldn't get out unless freed from the other side of the door." The Cat toyed with the key hanging from the end of his furry neck, looking very happy with himself indeed.

"Thanks, Chess," she said. The Cat turned to look at her with that same grin, though his eyebrow was arched. She didn't know cats could quirk their eyebrows.

"Are you terrible at living happily ever after, too? Go help Tarrant before you run out of time." Goodness gracious, the Cheshire Cat was beginning to realize that she and the Hatter were a perfect match.

Alice ran. She had seen the eagle guard take Hatter out the window, and he had flown up, not down. So she found the stairs and ran up them as fast as she could. When she reached the top, she found that there wasn't a hallway or a room. It was a lonely door atop the stairs. Alice pressed her ear to the wood.

"_How fortunate you are, Tarrant; I think that death might become you._"

Alice knew that voice. It belonged to Lampang, and she immediately knew she had reached his office. She shoved the door open with a yell. The figures of both Lampang and the Hatter spun to face her. She was frightened for a moment that she would see the same empty look on the Hatter's face that she had seen when confronting him earlier, but instead she was met with a smile.

"Alice!" he exclaimed. The Hatter looked shocked, but happy – maybe even relieved – to see her.

Lampang took his chance.

The sound of steel scraping bone sounded through the air, and Alice's eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat. The smile on the Hatter's face lingered, though his eyes glinted a little in the light. They turned a distinct shade of grey. Alice looked down to his abdomen, where the edge of the steel sword poked through. The Hatter did not move, still in shock. Lampang stood behind him, his hands still on the hilt of the sword, livid. He had stabbed the Hatter straight through.

"How lovely of you to join us, Alice."

Alice's heart started to pound as Lampang withdrew the sword from the Hatter, shoving him roughly aside. The Hatter sputtered and released a strangled moan, falling to the floor and placing a hand over his now bleeding wound. She wanted to run to him, to help him, but Lampang was walking towards her. Alice looked wildly around for an object; any object, sharp or blunt.

"I see… you are just too curious for your own good. You couldn't let me finish this last little game."

Alice said nothing, taking a step back from Lampang as he advanced towards her. He lifted his sword up, and Alice suddenly lost her footing, her back hitting the wall behind her. She panicked and raised her arms in front of her as a shield. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to-

"_Augh!_"

Lampang cried out in pain as a big ball of fur suddenly appeared out of nowhere, jumping on his face. It felt as though sharp pins were tearing through his flesh.

"I never liked liars," said the Cheshire Cat in that calm voice, though there was a dangerous undertone to it. "I hate them almost as much as I hate people who play with their food." With a fierce hiss, he clawed at Lampang's eyes, lips, and every other facial feature, as the man flailed about, attempting to hit the Cat with his sword.

The door swung open once more and a teacup crashed against the back of Lampang's skull. Lampang dropped the sword in shock and fell to his knees, finally managing to shake the Cat off. There was hysterical laughter as the March Hare ran into the room, followed by the Tweedles and the White Rabbit. Alice didn't have time to marvel in Chessur's speed. The Cat hit the brick wall with a loud thud, falling to the Hatter's side just as the White Queen entered. The Cat scrambled to get up, wincing. Lampang looked around for his sword, lunging for it when he realized Alice was running for it. But Chessur jumped on him again, hissing and yowling. Lampang cried out as the cat managed to claw at his eye. The pain was enough to bring him to his feet, violently shaking and trying to get the blasted cat off of his face. He couldn't see anything!

Alice picked up the sword, but instead of using it she threw it aside, where Lampang could not reach it. She couldn't kill a man, not even if she wanted to. The Jabberwocky had been the one exception in her life, and she had no intention of making another one. Alice took that moment to run to the Hatter, who was still coughing on the floor.

"Hatter! Hatter!" she exclaimed, moving him onto his back. She grasped at his hand, looking down at him with worry. His face was deathly pale, and she could already tell he had lost a lot of blood.

"Say something, Hatter," she whispered to him. He looked up at her with a pained smile, eyes a lighter gray than they had been before.

"_I'm a little tea pot, short and stout,_" he managed to rasp.

"_Here is my handle, here is my spout_," Alice sung back.

"Alice…" He squeezed her hand.

"Chess!"

Alice looked up from the Hatter as she heard the various cries of Chessur's name; Lampang was throwing his fists at the Cat on his face, struggling violently to be free of the claws. People kept trying to help Chessur, but with the amount of movement, they could not do so without getting hurt themselves or hurting Chessur in the process. Lampang was aware of all the people around him, but what he didn't seem to notice was the glass window of his office behind him: he took one fateful step back and tripped over an ottoman. The glass behind him shattered from the force of his fall, and both he and Chessur fell back, out of the window. The animals and the Tweedles all gasped in worry, the White Queen hurrying over to the window.

"Chessur!" she called.

There were several moments of silence, save for the Hatter's shuddering breaths. No one moved, and the White Rabbit and March Hare were holding each other tightly in suspense. Several seconds passed before-

"I say, that man put up quite the fight. Stroke of luck he turned out to be clumsy."

"Stroke of luck he had a Cheshire Cat at on his face," the White Rabbit corrected with a knowing smirk.

The Cheshire Cat appeared out of thin air in front of the White Queen. She embraced him immediately, and he purred softly.

"Well done, Chessur," she praised. The Cat shrugged with false modesty.

"You didn't hit the ground and become a pancake, Chess?"

"Naw, he'd have to be made of Wonderflour to become a pancake."

"Well what if he were a cat pancake, then?" As the Tweedles argued, the Queen released the Cheshire Cat. The March Hare hopped over to the Hatter with the White Rabbit. The March Hare continued to shake, but there was no laughter accompanying it. Both animals cuddled up next to the Hatter, trying to keep him awake.

"Lampang, is he..?" the White Queen trailed off, and the Cat nodded with a satisfied grin.

"His office is twelve stories high. Not even a Wonderlandian could survive that fall. I'm just lucky I can evaporate, or I wouldn't have made it back up here. So, unless I'm mistaken, Your Highness, I would say that it is safe to return to your castle."

"We have other matters to attend to first," said the Queen, and she nodded towards the Hatter, who had finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

"Your Majesty," Chessur said. "It would be most beneficial if you sent for a horse. I can tend to Tarrent of course, but he needs to get home as soon as possible. He will need a stable place to rest. Space, please," he added to Alice. Alice hesitated.

"But-"

"Do you want him to live or not? Either separate yourself from him for a few hours or remain separated from him for the rest of your life. He's lost enough blood and if I don't work quickly, I may not be able to help him. So," he said again. "Space."

Alice slowly released the Hatter's hand and stood up again, taking a step back. He had already lost so much blood. In London, anyone who had been so injured would have been on the brink of death at this point. Maybe, if an internal organ was hit, the person would already be dead. But there the Cheshire Cat was, hovering over the Hatter and spreading a salve that the White Queen had handed to him over the wound. Would it really help? Was there hope for the Hatter?

Maybe Chessur was right. Maybe Alice really didn't know how things in Wonderland worked around here. Maybe, just maybe, she would never fit in, just like how the Hatter would never fit in London. She was the Wonderland Champion who didn't understand one thing about the world she had saved two and a half years ago.

"Come, Alice," said the White Queen, resting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her out of the room with the others.

"Leave Chess to his work. He knows a lot about Wonderland remedies, and is as good a medic as any. If you had only let him, he could have very easily healed your Bandersnatch wound all those years ago. Alice?"

Alice wasn't responding. She was staring at the object the Hatter had pressed into her hand moments before losing consciousness:

A thin, soft chain made from fabric, on the end of which hung a diamond ring that belonged to the mother of a certain Hatter.

* * *

**A/N:** There you have it. We are approaching the end, but there is still a little more to come. I apologize again for uploading this a day late but the next one should be up on time! R&R for the next chapter, and I thank you all for your support!


	12. Beyond the Wonderberries

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: Hey guys, **AdriRin** had an interesting question that I thought that I would answer in case anyone else was wondering the same thing. AdriRin asked why Chessur emerged the hero, as opposed to Alice or the Hatter. Well, as you know, Chapter 11 came out a day late. While writing, as I explained, I had writer's block. And my writer's block had me write out two alternative scenes for Lampang's death: Alice would take his sword and scare him towards the window. He would still fall through, but she had a cheesy line like "I lied. You died by your own ineptitude instead." And, as epic as that may be in an adventure movie, it is not at all in character for Alice, from my point of view. The next option was to have her freak out over the fact that she had actually managed to be responsible for a man's death, and have her run to the window and feel guilty. That would be much too dramatic and she would have a lot of resulting traumatic problems that I didn't want to deal with. So I had Chessur attack him. (wouldn't you attack if some jacka** wrongly imprisoned all your friends and stabbed one of them?) Something tells me Chess is so lackadaisical that he wouldn't be morally bothered by it, seeing as Lampang was evil and all. All of the alternative scenes took a while to write out, and I never even used them.

AdriRin also asked why he was this amazing healer. This was my interpretation of Chessur based on the movie. He offered to heal the Bandersnatch wound, and it gave me the impression that he had medical experience behind him and knew quite a bit about Wonderland remedies. This was purely my interpretation of it, and I used it to my advantage in this fanfic.

**Sakura Katana**: Hey, don't worry about it! Without you I would have never realized my stupid mistake. xD

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's.

* * *

Chapter 12: Beyond the Wonderberries

Beyond the bush of Wonderberries, if you took a left at the purple tulip and continued down past a talking willow, you would hit a dilapidated tea table with broken cutlery. To the right of this sad-looking tea table was a building that looked an awful lot like a rotting mill. The wood from which it was made was black and soft, and even the shape of it seemed to be as though it were beginning to cave in on itself. It looked, at first glance, like a terrible place to live.

Upon closer inspection, of course, behind the white door stained with a few splotches of tea, anyone could realize that it was actually quite cozy. It looked larger on the inside than it did on the outside; though that was probably due to the clever way in which the furniture had been placed, maximizing space. A bookshelf with old, tattered novels was in the corner of the room, next to a lamp and an old, floral armchair. There was one large, hideous purple couch, and only a partition divided this room and the kitchen. Crooked, uncarpeted stairs led to the bedroom and the bathroom. Perhaps the most impressive features were the numerous shelves filled with different types of hats, and even a table in the center of the room dedicated to the creation of hats. Various objects and pieces of clothing were strewn about the furniture.

It was a home perfectly fitting for a Hatter who was half-mad.

There were many times where they believed the Hatter would never make it. Naturally a pale person, he was even paler than usual, and the few times he opened his eyes, they were a ghostly shade of gray. He had, upon Chessur's instruction, been taken back to his house almost immediately and placed in bed with the help of the Tweedles. Soon enough, however, the Cheshire Cat was not enough to help the Hatter. He had to call upon the White Queen, who had spent the next few days after Lampang's death reorganizing the Wonderland prison. She was rehiring staff and severely punishing those that had worked against her in favour of Lampang. A couple of them had even been sent into exile. But as soon as she had heard word from Chessur, she was on the way back to the Hatter's house to bring more medical supplies and offer more help.

The Hatter had been in bed rest for a few weeks now. Now, that was not to say he had been unconscious the entire time; goodness, no. He simply faded in and out of sleep, never leaving his feather mattress. Chessur came in every morning and afternoon to tend to him and keep him nourished with various replenishing potions. The White Rabbit and the March Hare visited him as well, though no one was able to say much else other than 'hello,' for the Hatter fell asleep quickly. Alice watched as all of the creatures ran about, doing this and that for the Hatter. She simply sat on the couch or on the chair by Hatter's bed. Never before had she ever felt so out of place in Wonderland. Watching as people used methods she had never even heard of, listening as they talked of people and animals she had never even met. It was painstakingly clear that she didn't belong here. Maybe, just maybe, if she hadn't left the first time things would be different.

The White Queen and Chessur left the Hatter's house every evening and returned every morning. Alice, even though she was offered a place to stay at the White Queen's castle, politely declined and slept on the Hatter's couch. She wanted to be there, she said, in case anything happened. But nothing ever did. There were no groans of pain, there were no midnight sleepwalks. The Hatter just… slept. It was almost a month later when Alice walked in, late at night, when the only source of light was the dim oil lamp on the Hatter's bedside table. She took her seat in the chair beside his bed, watching him for just a few moments. The ring hanging off of her necklace glinted in the lamp's light.

"It's been almost a month, you know," she said to him, as though he could hear. She recalled the moment the Hatter had confessed that he and Time had gotten into an argument. It was always six o'clock for the Hatter. Always tea-time. Perhaps that's why he hadn't aged a day since she was a little girl. Why he was now only a few years older than her.

"While you and Time haven't made up, and you can go about your life without time passing, I've been missing in London for almost a month now." She dared to reach out a hand and place it overtop his. It wasn't hot, it wasn't cold. It was just… normal.

"The White Queen has had some of her soldiers restore the doors to London," she explained. "And I think I'm going to head back for a bit. I was hoping to tell you in person, but you haven't been awake long enough to hear me out."

Alice removed the necklace from around her neck, and pressed the ring back into his lukewarm hand.

"When you wake up, I'll probably be gone already. I'll say goodbye to the others tomorrow morning, and I'll tell them to pass along the message. It's not like me, to leave without word, but I can't keep my family waiting much longer. I've put them through so much trouble and they deserve an explanation. I have to let them know I'm all right." She paused, leaning forward and placing a delicate kiss on his lips. She lingered there for a moment, and when she pulled back, she kept her face close to his.

"Wake up to try and stop me." She waited a few seconds, and nothing happened.

"No," she sighed, sitting up again. "I didn't think so. But I suppose it won't be so bad. I'll be back before you know it."

She stood from her chair and walked to the door. Just before exiting though, she turned around.

"For what it's worth," she said softly, "I love you."

* * *

"So she really left?"

"I saw her off from the castle before coming here this morning. She told me she has to settle things with her family. I can understand, poor child. Her family must be devastated. But it's just a shame…"

"I really thought she would stay this time. But it could be worse. She said she would be back."

"Every time she comes to Wonderland, she says she will be back."

_I know those voices…_

"Yes, well. We will deal with Alice later. For now we have to get the Hatter up and about. His wound has healed nicely. It has closed off and scarred well, and has been scarred for a few days now. I thought for sure he'd regain some consciousness and have enough energy to do something other than eat by now."

"Does he have a fever?" asked the second voice, a female's. "That would give indication of an infection, which would explain all the fatigue and lack of strength."

The Hatter felt rough skin touch his forehead. It felt strangely like a paw.

"No fever. He feels normal."

_Chess? Is that you? And… the White Queen! But why are you talking of Alice?_

"How do you think he will react to Alice leaving?"

_Leaving?_

"Hold on."

"What?"

"His finger is twitching."

"Hey, what's this?"

The Hatter felt a warm object being pulled from beneath his palm.

"What an odd looking ring," remarked the Queen.

"He's got a matching one on his left hand," said the Cat, purring. "Has he always had that ring beneath his palm?"

"I don't think so," she said. The Hatter could practically hear the frown in her voice.

"You don't think they were engaged to be married, do you? This looks an awful lot like a wedding ring. Look at these gems – they're nothing I've ever seen before."

"Married? It doesn't seem like Alice to run away from a marriage."

_Run away?_

"No, you're right. She stayed with Lampang until she found out he was trying to kill her."

"So it wouldn't make sense for her to go back to London if she were engaged again."

_London?_

The Hatter's eyes cracked open, and light flooded his usually dark surroundings. He winced and groaned, struggling to support himself on his forearms. He found he could recall very little after seeing Alice in the prison.

"Chess!" the White Queen exclaimed in surprise. The Cat's tail perked up at the sight of the Hatter's slightly opened eyes.

"Easy now," came the calm voice of the Cat. "We'll help you sit up. One, two-" The Hatter felt himself being lifted by both his arms, his back moving to rest against the headboard of his bed.

"How are you feeling?" asked the White Queen, reaching out and tucking a strand of orange hair behind the Hatter's ear. The Cat appeared in front of his face, looking directly into his eyes.

"Mmhmm. Good sign. Green again. We were afraid we had lost you there for a while, Tarrant. So good to see you awake for longer than a second."

"Was I dreaming?" he asked. "I thought Alice had finally realized why a raven was like a writing desk."

The Cat and the Queen exchanged a look.

"What is the last thing you remember, Tarrant?" asked the Cat curiously.

"I think I heard you two talking just now, but I don't quite remember what it was about. Was it about Alice?" The Queen looked to Chessur, sending him a slightly warning glance. They shouldn't mention Alice to the Hatter now; he would strain himself so soon after waking up.

"Are you… engaged to Alice, by any chance?" the Cat asked carefully. The Hatter blinked.

"No. I don't think so. Why? Did she say something?" The Cat relaxed slightly.

"No, she didn't. We were just wondering who this belonged to." He held up a paw, and a fabric chain hung from it, a ring on the end.

A million images flooded the Hatter's head at once.

_It means love, Alice. The lavender._

Memory after memory painfully returned, and he shut his eyes, feeling a slight throbbing in his head. He could vaguely remember giving Alice the necklace just before he passed out. But, if that were true, why did they have it?

_For what it's worth, I love you._

He sat up straighter in his bed.

"Where's Alice?"

"Tarrant," said the White Queen in a soft voice, stroking the Hatter's hair once more. "She left this morning. She didn't think you were going to wake up. She has been gone from London an awfully long time, and she has to see her family and explain her absence."

The Hatter flew out of bed. The necklace that once hung on Chessur's paw was now around the Hatter's neck. His bed sheets were thrown into the air and he hurried to the closet, where he promptly began to change out of his pajamas and into his usual eccentric suit.

"Hatter!" The Queen exclaimed. "Slow down, you'll hurt yourself. There's no point, Alice will-"

"Leave him," Chessur interrupted in a whisper, placing a paw on her shoulder. "This is the most alive I've seen him in a while. This might be good for him. Maybe he can finally get that happily ever after he's always wanted."

"Where did she go?" the Hatter asked as he shoved on his top hat.

"She's using the Eastern Door – the one closest to here, in the tree," the Cat said. "But she left to make rounds of goodbyes to everyone this morning. She might-"

The Hatter was gone.

He ran out the door. His suit didn't fit like normal. Already naturally a lanky fellow, his suit had more room than usual. He briefly wondered just how long he had been recovering for, but that question was quickly pushed aside. He had to find Alice. This necklace was hers! He ran to the tree he remembered the door to be located inside, and skidded to a stop as he spotted the March Hare, the White Rabbit, and the Tweedles. He was already out of breath, and his head was spinning slightly. Perhaps he shouldn't have exerted himself so quickly.

"Hatter!" exclaimed the White Rabbit, the first to spot him. "Hatter, how are you feeling-"

"Alice!" the Hatter interrupted.

"He feels like Alice?" asked Tweedle Dee.

"Maybe he thinks the White Rabbit is Alice," said Tweedle Dum.

"But it makes more sense to feel like Alice!" argued Tweedle Dee.

"Naw, it makes more sense to think the White Rabbit is Alice – they're both small!"

"Where is Alice?" The Hatter clarified his question, out of breath. The March Hare blinked, fidgeting a bit before pointing to the door in the tree.

"B-but she already left, Tarrent. She's already gone up the Rabbit Hole to London!" He tugged on his ears, eyes bugging slightly.

The Hatter's shoulders slumped and he stared at the tree, crestfallen. Once again, he was left behind in Wonderland.

* * *

Margaret Kingsley had been living in her mother's house for almost a month now.

Lowell and her were having problems, and she was growing weary of how flirtatious he could be with other young women. She didn't need that drama on top of her sister missing. As soon as she and her mother had alerted the police, they had asked whom Alice had last been seen with. That had been Tarrant Hightopp, Margaret answered. Albert Hannigan had also been missing for a while, too, Mrs. Kingsley added. What was odd was that when looked up in police records, they had no files for either name. The police proposed the theory that Albert Hannigan and Tarrant Hightopp had been friends in crime, and working together, had managed to kidnap Alice under false identities.

"But we didn't receive a ransom note," protested Mrs. Kingsley. "Isn't that the point of kidnapping? For money?"

The police looked at her with a grim expression on his face.

"It's a terrible world we live in, madam, when a young girl like Alice is not kidnapped for money."

The police explained the hypothesis that Alice had been taken with the intention of being sex trafficked. There were many bases around China, and there was a high chance that Albert had befriended her in Hong Kong with the intention of winning her trust and taking her away – with the aid of an accomplice, Tarrant Hightopp.

Tomorrow would be exactly one month since Alice Kingsley mysteriously disappeared from London, and it would be the same day the police had to call off the search.

Margaret walked into her little sister's room, slowly pushing open the door. She had grown accustomed to doing this every night, just memorizing Alice's memory, fast slipping away.

But this night was different.

Margaret's eyebrows furrowed as she walked to the pillow. There was a letter on top. Her heart pounding at the thought of it being the kidnapper, she snatched it up and began to read.

_Dearest Mother and Margaret,_

_I'm sorry I haven't contacted you earlier. I promise you that I left this letter the first chance I could. Everything is fine. I am alive and well. As much as I want to say goodbye in person, I know I would never be allowed to leave the moment you set eyes on me.  
_

_I've found someone. Isn't it wonderful? Just like you always hoped I would. I would tell you where I've been and where I plan to stay, but you would never believe me. It's a wonderful place, just around the bend. I know it is terribly selfish, but I hope you can eventually find it in your hearts to be happy for me.  
_

_I want to give you all my love and best wishes, and assure you that I miss you terribly with every passing day._

_Ever yours,_

_Alice_

_

* * *

_

**A/N**: Don't hate me yet! xD; R&R for the next chapter!


	13. A Good and Happy Event

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: I want to thank you all for staying with me so loyally. This will be the last chapter of this fanfic, and I really hope you all enjoyed the story! At this point I open up the floor to you all: What should my next fanfic be? Another AxH, or a different genre? I was thinking Phoenix Wright. I'm not sure just yet, but I'd love to hear your input!

I want to say that I never expected this fanfic to become so huge. I never expected to have over 400 reviews and receive close to 3,000 subscribers! So I thank you endlessly with virtual cookies and other goodies. :3

But I _do_ have one teenie, tiny confession to make: This entire fanfic was** improvised.**

I didn't plan one chapter or one detail. Basically, I wrote the first chapter, was about to post it on FFnet when I realized that I didn't even have a title or summary in mind. The most that I would know were certain things that I wanted to include in the next chapter, like Albert's real name (which I only thought of when writing Chapter 9). Albert was initially only supposed to appear in the first two chapters then never be heard of again! I kept receiving messages asking how I came up with the story, so there's the answer: I never really did. I kind of just sat down and wrote the next chapter without any idea of where I was headed. None of it was planned, and one reviewer said "I don't know what happens next, but I hope you do!"

To be honest, I knew about as much as the next chapter as you guys did after reading it. I only wanted to reveal that now because I was afraid if I did it earlier, people would lose respect and stop reading the fanfic. I hope that my confession doesn't really bother anyone, and I hope you can still find it in yourselves to enjoy the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's.

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Chapter 13: A Good and Happy Event

"Back again so soon?"

Alice walked up to the dilapidated tea table, smiling as she saw the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, and the March Hare all gathered around having tea. The Cat was floating out of his seat at the moment, however, bandaging the White Rabbit's injured paw.

"What happened?" she asked. "Was there an infection?"

"Oh my word, no," said the Rabbit. "The White Queen finally finished making the salve that will allow it to reattach properly."

"But hasn't your paw rotted by now?" she asked, and the Cat waved a paw dismissively to a small bowl on the table, filled with sky blue, sparkling liquid.

"One dip in there and the paw was good as new. Really, Alice, you've been to Wonderland how many times now? Surely you must have picked up one or two things?"

Alice smiled.

"I'll learn," she said. "Tarrant is still asleep, I presume."

"Not at all."

Alice blinked at the blunt, unexplained answer.

"He woke up?"

"While you were gone!" exclaimed the March Hare, tugging at his ears again. "He went to the White Castle after he realized you'd left."

"Yes, I must say, you both have very inconvenient timing. I suppose Time is messing with poor Tarrant again," said Chessur.

"Ouch!" exclaimed the White Rabbit.

"Oh, hold still," scolded the Cat.

Alice shook her head, trying to get all of the facts straight. So the Hatter had left the mill?

"I'm going to the Castle," she said. "I'm going to find the Hatter."

"Go, then, and stop distracting me from my work." The Cat offered Alice a good-natured grin, and Alice smiled back.

"Imagine that," Chessur said to the others once Alice had left. "Tarrant was right: it _is_ a lucky rabbit's foot. Our Wonderland champion is back for good."

* * *

The White Castle could be seen along the horizon, so Alice hurried in that direction. She nodded politely to the tulips and the roses that greeted her as she passed by, and eventually even met up with the Tweedles who argued about which route was shorter to take. She left them behind to argue, assuring them that she could make it on her own.

The sun was high in the sky by the time she reached the castle. She walked up to the big, pearl-like doors and nodded to the doorman.

"I am looking for a Hatter by the name of Tarrant Hightopp."

"Fifth floor, eighth door on your left." He opened the door, and Alice walked slowly in, taking in the surroundings. She had been to the castle before, and it was exactly as she remembered it: all white, all pure, all remarkably like a winter castle. She climbed up all the sets of stairs, just taking her time and observing. She wondered why the Hatter had left the mill so soon after waking. It wasn't like him to stray far from his tea table unless matters called for it.

"… Six, seven… eight."

She stopped outside of the door, smiling at its contrast to the entire castle. It was a bright orange colour, and perfectly fitting for the Hatter. She knocked.

"_Come in_," came a voice from the other side. Pressing her ear to the door, Alice could hear the sound of machines working, needles clicking. Alice pushed open the door and looked around. Hundreds of hats must have been stored on the shelves in the room, more than there were at the Hatter's house. Every kind of colour and fabric could be seen. There was one large square table in the center, where the Hatter sat. He was in the process of making a hat: a small, light blue hat, with a tasteful white feather just on the end.

Alice was suddenly very aware of the silence in the room. The machine stopped sewing, the needles stopped clicking; She looked up from the hat to the Hatter's face, her expression softening at the look of pure surprise on his face.

"A-Alice…! I thought you left?"

"I came back," she said softly, shutting the door behind her. "Like I always do."

"But you remember me."

"How could I forget? I worried for you, Hatter. When you wouldn't wake up."

The Hatter stood from his table and walked over to her. His strides were long, but slow, as though afraid he was hallucinating.

"But you.. You left," he said again.

Alice noted the look on his face. He knew she was the real Alice, he could always tell. She walked up to him, boldly looking him in the eye. She leaned forward and kissed him. Just like the first time, the Hatter tensed, his eyes closing tightly. Alice reached a hand out to caress his cheek and, as though on command, his arms immediately wrapped around her small frame, returning the kiss.

"Alice," he whispered once they pulled apart, his green eyes opening and looking into hers. He looked almost frightened that if he were to let go, she would leave him again.

"So you're- you're going to..."

"I'm staying," she assured him, and she kissed him again.

* * *

Alice, eventually, left the Hatter to his work and started to wander about the castle. She found herself on the balcony, overlooking all of Wonderland with a smile. Being there, she knew she had made the right decision to stay.

She had been mulling about her thoughts for about an hour before anyone came to see her. The Hatter walked up slowly from behind, his hat tucked beneath his arm.

"Why did you decide to stay, Alice?"

Alice glanced at him briefly before looking back out to the horizon.

"Lots of reasons," she answered. The Hatter waited for Alice to face him again before he gently lifted her up and seated her on the railing of the balcony. He sat beside her and reached into his pocket.

"I mean, I realized I just felt… so out of place here," Alice began. "I knew nothing about the world that I loved the most. That's why I want to stay, Hatter. I want to learn more about this place, learn how things work, how everything is so…. Well, wonderful," she said, laughing quietly.

"But I also stayed because… of you." She realized that he wasn't speaking. For a moment she feared she had frightened him with her bold statement, and looked away from the horizon to him. Her breath caught in her throat, however, as she laid eyes on a web-like diamond ring, held delicately between his thumb and index finger. The look on his face was reserved, but serious. The Hatter leaned forward, just like he had before when he wished her fairfarren all those years ago. His lips were close to her ear, and his breath brushed against her skin as he whispered.

"Marry me, Alice?"

Alice sent him a side-glance. His eyes, she could see, were lavender.

"What an idea," she said. "A crazy, mad, wonderful idea." He watched her with a careful expression, his heart beating fast as he awaited an answer.

"Yes." Alice turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. The Hatter swept her up in his arms and hopped off the balcony, spinning her around. He kissed her, and she kissed him, and his heart ached with joy. When her feet finally touched ground again, they stayed close. Alice enjoyed the warmth of his arms wrapped around her, and finally…

"I love you, Alice."

"I love you too, Hatter."

The Hatter slid the ring onto Alice's finger. It was a good and happy event, in which the new couple kissed and kissed until the sun went down, and she cried tears of joy over her splendid gift.

* * *

**A/N**: There you have it, folks. The end to my fanfic. I hope you all enjoyed it! Fairfarren, everyone!


	14. Epilogue: Welcome to Wonderland

Up From Wonderland

Full Summary: Everyday, people go missing. Sometimes they return and sometimes they do not. Sometimes people ran away of their own accord and sometimes people were kidnapped. Just this one time, this person was found. She was found by a Hatter, and he was in a place that he truly did not belong in. AxH

A couple of years have passed since Alice's last trip to Wonderland, and she has managed to accept the hand of a business man who is much more to her liking than Hamish. But what happens if, closer to their wedding day, Alice starts acting 'curiouser and curiouser' before completely disappearing? And why does her fiancé keep seeing flashes of orange and a bedraggled-looking hat after the announcement of their engagement?

**A/N**: Due to popular request, I have written an epilogue for this story. This will be the last chapter for this fanfic, but it also gives me an opportunity to ask you guys something. A lot of you want me to write another A/H fanfic, but I fear that it may not match up to this one. Wouldn't it be overkill for me to write two of them and expect the same support? Or should I give it a shot anyway? I've got an idea in mind for what I might want to do if I do decide to write another A/H fic [Though it will have mature themes in it] – I just want all of your input first. What do you think? Should I write another A/H fanfic or simply leave everything as it is?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Alice in Wonderland characters; just my OC's.

* * *

Epilogue: Welcome to Wonderland

Alice had always wanted to get married in a church.

Unfortunately, Wonderland did not have a church. When she asked of God and their beliefs, the Wonderlandians simply shrugged and claimed to have no idea what she was talking about. She turned to the Hatter in desperation, trying to spark a thought by mentioning higher powers and how everything came to be. The Hatter looked very unclear as to what Alice was getting at.

"Wonderland just _is_, Alice," he answered.

Alice was going to protest, but when she looked around and thought about it, she realized the Hatter was right. Was there really an explanation behind this other world? When you looked at Wonderland, one didn't get much out of it by asking a surplus of questions. Alice simply had to accept it for what it was.

She was slowly starting to get used to not asking so many questions.

In preparation for the wedding, Alice was pulled this way and that, every Wonderland creature trying to give their valuable input for the wedding. She rarely had the opportunity to see the Hatter during the day, only meeting up with him in his home at night. Apparently their morals were not quite the same here as they were in London. Living with a fiancé was not scandalous at all. She was so used to London, where one was not to set foot in a home with their soon-to-be spouse until the wedding was entirely legal.

Alice smiled as she remembered the first night spent with the Hatter in his home. He had offered to sleep on the couch so she could remain comfortable on his bed. She of course pointed out that they would be sharing a bed soon enough and that it did not make a difference if they started sharing it a tad earlier than usual.

"But – but you do not think that I would actually bed you before I married you?"

The Hatter's expression was in earnest and innocence, and his face turned beet red when Alice assured him that she had simply meant sleeping side by side. So after changing into his incredibly bright purple pajamas, he slid in beside her. It was awkward, but it was, Alice decided in the end, cute, for at one point in the nighttime the Hatter had wrapped his arm around her, and they woke up the next morning in each other's embrace.

That first night was the ice breaker and they shared a bed every night after that, each night more comfortable than the next. The good mood of the Hatter was not to go unnoticed by his friends, all of whom, when Alice was not around, offered extravagant, if not slightly inappropriate advice for the big wedding night. The Hatter would simply clear his throat when he saw Alice approaching, and all the creatures would lapse into rambles about the number twenty-two and the letter F.

Alice wondered just how different a wedding was in Wonderland. It had been decided that the wedding ceremony would be held just outside of the March Hare and the Hatter's homes, by the tea table. It was a place of great significance to the Hatter and many of his friends, so Alice did not protest. Besides, she found the idea cute. The Hatter was talking to various creatures about how the ceremony would be set up decoratively, and one night Alice had come home to him talking to a large, purple, polk-a-dot toadstool that nodded enthusiastically before hopping away to its proper place by the bank.

Unlike in London, the wedding had no rehearsal. Alice placed her trust in Hatter and all the others that they could set up everything successfully without practice. Alice found herself in the company of the White Queen much of the time, picking out dresses and hair styles and make up artists. When Alice inquired of the writing of one's own vows, Mirana assured her that the Aeriethack (the equivalent to an ordained minister or a priest) would have vows for them to repeat to each other.

Thank the Heavens, a similarity!

Knowing that she no longer had to worry about the daunting task of writing wedding vows, Alice simply followed along. Weddings were supposed to be a stressful event, but Alice was happy enough with everyone helping her with the workload. Justly so, the White Rabbit had told her, seeing as she knew nothing proper of the traditional Wonderland wedding and required all the help she could get.

The morning of the wedding dawned fast on Wonderland, and almost every creature was to attend the wondrous event. The White Queen rode out early on horseback with some of her guards the morning of the wedding, helping Alice in getting ready for the wedding. The Hatter was to get ready in the March Hare's home, while Alice got the mill to herself for preparations. The White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat were taking care of the setting up of the ceremony and the reception.

"How are you feeling, my dear Alice?" asked Mirana as she helped dry Alice's hair. Alice had just stepped out of the shower and was still wrapped in a towel.

"A little nervous," Alice admitted with a smile. "What if I trip and fall on my face?"

"Then everyone will laugh and it will be a most memorable moment."

"Yes," Alice smiled. "I do suppose you're right."

Alice allowed Mirana and her assistant to fix Alice's hair. Part of it was twisted up into a cinnamon-bun-like roll, while the rest was left long, crimped, and tossed over one shoulder.

"Now, sit still, and we will make you a most beautiful Wonderland bride."

* * *

The Hatter grinned when he stepped outside. Birds were flying and holding up decorative cloths and signs, and there were many tea tables organized neatly across the grass. His own dilapidated tea table was at the center top, strongly contrasting with the clean, neat, white tea tables the White Queen had helped move in. The Aeriethack was reading from a thick book at the flowery arch where the Hatter and Alice were to stand and be joined in wedlock. The ceremonious teapot was set up on the small stand in front of him, as were the rings. Everything was prepared beautifully, and the Hatter's heart was pounding.

"Why Tarrant, I do believe that you look more dashing than ever."

"Thank you, Chess," said the Hatter delightfully. He was wearing another boldly cut suit, the fabric of which was light blue and checkered, not unlike the dress Alice wore in Wonderland. His top hat was light blue to match, and his neatly washed and combed hair – still orange – stood wonderfully out against the suit.

"Do you have green feet?" asked the Cat, floating harmlessly in the air.

"Why should I?" asked the Hatter with a smile. "She is absolutely, positively, _the_ Alice. Nothing to obtain green feet over. I can only hope she still wants me."

The flowers sang and everyone moved into their seats. The Hatter took his place at the arch, glancing over to their dilapidated tea table. The Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, and the Tweedles all sat happily around it, waving at him as everyone settled down. Even the blue butterfly could be seen crouching on the edge of a teacup. The Hatter tipped his hat to them cheerfully. He could see the large, ceremonious polk-a-dot toadstools waiting at the table to be sat on by the bride and groom.

Once silence fell upon the crowd, the trees played their branches and a violin-like sound flew through the air. The door to the Hatter's mill opened, and Alice emerged, a bouquet of cards in her hand, the White Queen following behind her with a dignified smile.

The Hatter's eyes became a pale, shining lavender.

Alice's dress looked as though it were made of the rare cloud fabric, floating and airy. Her dress, of a pale blue colour, had but one long sleeve on the left arm, her right arm bare save for a pearl-coloured glove. Her shoes were made of the strongest and finest white petals, but these were not the main articles of her attire. Upon her hair bun, angled and slightly to the side, was a small peter pan-like hat, of eccentric, dark green fabric, with a bright orange feather sticking out, almost identical in personality to the Hatter's usual tea-time suit.

A perfect Alice hat.

Each wearing clothing like that of their almost-spouse, Alice slowly walked down the grassy aisle to the Hatter at the arch. The flowers sang in rich chords, and the ceremony began. The Aeriethack talked, the party laughed, cried, and gasped in pleasant surprise. Time, as a wedding gift, had made up with the Hatter, allowing him to finally move away from tea time to wedding time: it was time for them to make their marriage vows official.

"Tarrant, if you would so kindly take the teapot and pour the tea into the cup."

The Hatter did as instructed, and Alice watched him with that curious look on her face he had grown to love.

"Please pick up the cup and take a sip."

He sipped at the tea. His entire body grew warm against the breeze, and he felt instilled with a new, almost inspiring feeling.

"Do you, Tarrant Hightopp, take Alice as your wife and promise to love her for as long as time allows?"

"Ooh," said the Hatter, lowering his tea cup with a smile. "I do."

"Please pass the teacup to Alice," the Aeriethack instructed, and he did as he was told.

"Have a sip, Alice. Do you, Alice Kingsley, take Tarrant as your husband and promise to love him as long as time allows?"

Alice swallowed the tea, memorizing the warmth that spread all the way to her petal-covered toes.

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in the tea and by the witnesses here today, I pronounce you both husband and wife. Fairfarren to Alice and Tarrant Hightopp: May you both travel far under fair skies!"

There were cheers as cards were thrown like confetti into the air. The Hatter and Alice leaned forward to kiss, each tasting the lingering flavour of sweet tea as they slid the rings onto each other's fingers.

"Alice Hightopp," the Hatter whispered to her once they broke apart, "Welcome to Wonderland."

* * *

**A/N**: There you have it! The epilogue! I hope you all enjoyed it. :B


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